Requiem
by I.Tea88
Summary: Nora's been returned. How will Patch take this new distance from her? How will he protect Nora from everyone else's plans for her? Can he? Or the better question, will she let him? Silence from mainly Patch's POV. All credit for original work to Becca Fitzpatrick.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 _Continued from Insanity…_

 **Omniscient POV**

The two Nephilim were driving through the night, towards the Coldwater cemetery. The night was foggy, and eerier than normal. They stopped the car.

"Aw, man, just put her down. Geez, I don't like this…" said one. He was fidgety and very superstitious, having been raised in a home very respectful to the dead.

"Oh what, are you scared? Got the heebie-jeebies of graveyards?" answered the other, mocking the first. They lifted Nora's body out of the car, dragging it through. "We were commanded to leave her here, and so that's what we're going to do." Something ran over the first Nephil's foot, and he dropped Nora's legs with a flinch.

"Sorry, dude…I felt something, and I just…" There was a thud; the second Nephil had punched the first.

"Stop being such a cherry! Jesus Christ; what are you, _not an immortal_?" he shouted.

"Don't say his name in vain…"

"Dude! Catch it; you are not at home anymore, with your rosaries and mommy and trinkets! Heaven doesn't want you and Hell won't have you! Stop being such a punk!"

"Don't talk about my mother, you asshole!" They stared each other down, before seeing the body in between them.

The first Nephil rose his hands. "Whatever, man. Where should we put her?"

"Just somewhere where she can be spotted." They'd walked some more distance before the first Nephil sensed something off.

"Just…leave her here!" he cried, lying her down on the ground. The second Nephil looked at him like he couldn't believe it.

"You can't tell me you don't sense something around here…it's not right…"

"You're a wuss." The second Nephil began touching Nora's hair. "She's very beautiful…"

"Don't get a hard on over a practically dead body! Besides, we have to leave her here, safely, as commanded…" the first Nephil said. He was already feeling nervous, and his ignorant friend's behavior was really pushing him to a limit.

"Aw, you're such a bitch. Just go back to the car; I'll take her." Relieved, the friend sighed.

"If they ask, I ain't see shit, man."

As his friend left, the second Nephil dragged Nora's body to the shadows. Licking his lips, he unzipped his pants. Before he could even touch her, he felt his head pushed to the ground. Looking up, he saw the flash of a knife, and a dark hoodie. He tried to scream, but his mouth, and body seemed to be forced still.

"You should have listened to your friend."

His internal screaming got louder as he felt his man part be cut off, slowly and agonizingly. He could have fainted as the shadowed figure held it over his face.

"You disgusting son of a bitch." The voice hissed. "Try, or even mention, this ever again, and I will cut it off again, along with the rest, and leave you strung up by the skin of it. I will know." Horrified, he didn't have time to react before the shadowed figure stabbed him through the throat.


	2. Chapter 1

**Welcome back everyone! I finally got over a huge writer's block hurdle to give you this! Don't cry, there will be Patch soon. I just felt like this was something that needed to be covered.**

Chapter One

 **Detective Basso's POV**

Coffee. I sipped it, and I nodded happily. I sat in my car, drinking, waiting.

I'd become partial to the drink, not because it helped me to stay awake, but because something about the taste made me feel official inside. It was a childish thought, but considering how jaded I was by everything around me, it was nice every now and then to be impressed by something.

I'd definitely been exhausted by the past eleven weeks. She'd been gone for _eleven whole weeks,_ and all of my resources had either been spent looking for her for human police, just to have to hold back according to Heaven's. I'd been looking for Scott Parnell, but apparently that search had gone nowhere. Some of the cops were most surely being bought off by Nephilim money, so I'd been weeding them out, catching one only to have three more pop up in their place. Working on Earth was getting old, but so was I. I had the time, and I was too good at my job to quit.

Suffice it to say, I hadn't really slept the entire summer, and I hadn't relaxed my guard. Coffee was about the only thing I had to look forward to. Occasionally I'd go to Starbucks and get one of those cappuccinos, with the whipped cream and caramel, those were good…

"Boss."

I snapped to- I'd dozed off thinking about coffee. Damn it all…

"Yes?" I asked, looking at the radio in front of me.

"Phone call. About the missing girl." I resisted the urge to groan.

"Thank you." I nodded and turned to the car phone. If it was another false lead, or Blythe Grey again, I might scream. "Detective Basso."

"Hey! I see the girl! Nora Grey!" a male voice shouted. My eyes widened. _Could it really be her?_

"Where, and are you sure?" I started the engine and turned on my light.

"Yeah, it's her. I'm sure of it. Leaving the cemetery, heading south."

"Thank you."

"What about my rew-" I hung the phone up, headed towards Coldwater's one cemetery. Remembering that she'd want to know, I called Blythe Grey. "Blythe, we've located Nora. I'm going to pick her up, and take her to the central hospital."

Blythe began to boohoo, and I didn't have time for that. I hung the phone up and kept driving.

Thank God I was close by. I turned onto the bridge in the cemetery, and stopped the car. There she was. Gripping the side of the bridge, looking like a lost deer in my headlights.

Nora Grey. She leaned over the bridge, looking like she was questioning whether or not she should jump over.

I stepped out of the car, walking slowly towards her. Strangely, she didn't approach me, call for me…anything. The same kid that had constantly called my phone out of deep paranoia….silent. _Had she forgotten me?_ She leaned over and grabbed a branch and waved it at me. I wasn't threatened, but I pinned my police badge on so that she could remember who I was, that I was an officer. I rose my hands, and slowly began walking towards her.

"Nora." She flinched. "It's me. Are you hurt?"

She didn't answer, and her eyes were still flickering over my body. I began to feel anxious. This wasn't normal behavior from her, but she had been kidnapped for months. What had the poor girl gone through?

"I called your mom. She's going to meet us at the hospital."

Still, nothing. I looked her over. Besides light bruising and being dirty, she wasn't hurt. At least on the outside.

"Everything's going to be okay. It's all over. I'm not going to let anybody hurt you. You're safe now."

I hoped she hadn't been assaulted- sexually or otherwise. She had all of the signs of abuse, and she'd need care. Maybe she was afraid of men and that's why she didn't trust me. I took more steps forward.

"Don't come any closer." She commanded, finally speaking. Her voice, although she probably thought it strong, was raspy. She was losing her strength, I could feel it, but her distrust still waved off of her. Was she angry that I hadn't come in time? Did she escape herself? I doubted it.

"Nora?"

"How do you know my name?"

 _What?_ "It's me. Detective Basso." _Oh no…_

"I don't know you." She declared. _Oh shit._ Of course. I'd been too optimistic to think that whoever let her go wouldn't have mind wiped her. Naturally it'd been powerful Nephilim. Damn. How was I supposed to use her now?

 _New tactic._ "Do you remember where you've been?" Nora looked down, searching within herself. Nothing. I could see her frustration. If I could just know how far back… "How did you get to the cemetery tonight? Did someone drop you off? Did you walk?" Still, nothing. "I need you to tell me Nora," I pleaded. "This is important. What happened tonight?"

Finally, she looked at me with lost eyes, tears filling them. "I want to go home," she cried, dropping the stick. Her lip began to quiver, and the tears began to fall. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her.

"I can take you home. I just need to take you to the hospital first."

She squeezed her eyes shut, like a child that wanted the spooky monster in her dreams to go away. Except this was all too real. I sighed, wishing I could make this a little easier for her.

"You've been missing for eleven weeks, Nora. Do you hear what I'm saying? Nobody knows where you've been the past three months. You need to be looked at. We need to make sure you're okay."

Her tears stopped, and her head bent. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, trying not to puke. At this point I was right in front of her.

"We think you were abducted. Kidnapped."

This was a first for me. Even though I'd been undercover as a cop, something about how she was acting disturbed me. She was quiet, too quiet. Then, no human I'd dealt with had faced potential torture for weeks from Nephilim. Nora leaned forward, and fainted into my arms. There'd be no more information from her tonight. I swept her up and walked toward the car.

"Hey! Officer!"

I turned toward the sound, the old grave-keeper was jogging up to me.

"I found her, the reward, right? Where do I get it?"

I simply stared at him. I was tempted to send him straight to Hank Millar for his greed, but who knew what might happen to the man. Finally, I waved him forward. Smiling wide, he came up to me, and I grabbed his forehead.

"Hey, man, what're you-"

I pushed him away, memory erased. He'd not know what happened, and for his safety, he shouldn't. I'd say that an anonymous source reported her. I placed Nora into the back of the car, and I pulled off.

By the time I reached the hospital, Blythe Grey was covered in tears, reaching for her child.

" _Nora! Let me hold my child!"_

Blythe rushed forward, but hands held her back. Hank Millar. He began to calm her down, and I quickly turned my eyes away. He had to sense that I wasn't human, but I wasn't going to give him the pleasure to challenge me. Nurses raced forward to take her from me and place her onto a stretcher.

By morning, after I'd finished speaking to the media and to the police station, I sat and waited with Blythe to hear Nora's diagnosis.

"Why am I not allowed into the back?" she demanded. "I'm her _mother_ for goodness sakes!"

I sighed. She was as neurotic as her daughter. "You cannot go back until all of the tests are completely done. Please be patient for a little while longer, Blythe. Please."

Finally a nurse walked out and allowed her to go back. I'd assigned shifts of security officers in front of all of the doors, and everything was organized. It was, until I saw a blonde flash run by me.

"Mrs. Grey! _Mrs. Grey!_ Is it true?! Where are ya, Blythe?"

Luckily a doctor caught the girl. "No running, please. Who are you?"

"I'm her best friend, Vee Sky. Which room is she in?" the girl breathed.

"I'm sorry, but the family has asked for no visitors at this point."

Vee Sky went pale. "Wh-what? She's only got one- But…I'm practically family!"

"I'm sorry ma'am."

She turned away, looking dejected. Then she turned and barreled through the security officers, screeching like a madwoman. I rolled my eyes and waited for security to grab her.

Fifteen minutes later, they finally had her subdued and dragged out of the hospital. She was young, and stupid, so rather than arrest her I had an officer drive her home. I turned back to the hospital, wary, and slowly backed out. Maybe I'd get two hours of sleep in my car. When I made it inside, my radio hissed.

"Detective Basso."

"Hey boss, higher ups have said that you did a good job. Maybe they'll let you get the day off," he joked.

Sweet words. Too bad my work was never finished.

 **I could use some coffee. Mocha...yes. Read and review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**First, the reason this chapter too so long (outside of personal home/business issues) was actually because I had it typed out the day I posted the two first chapters, but I hated it so much that I left it there. I thought it was shitty work and no one would like it. Finally came back to it when I had some time and some self confidence, did some additions and editing, and I feel a little better about it.**

 **Next, I'm looking back at _Insanity_ and ugh lol if I could re-write some of those chapters and fix grammatical errors...I realize that the memes are true when they say artists look back at their work and think it's awful. **

Chapter Two

 **Patch's POV**

I stood there, invisible, watching as she took her tests.

The doctor, a Dr. Howlett, leaned over to inspect her injuries. His nurse took notes as he noted all of the bruises on her arms and legs, and I flashed back to something that'd happened earlier the summer. Hank had beaten her mercilessly. Before I'd been cut off from her dreams, she'd come to me, eyes swollen shut and black and blue everywhere. It'd infuriated me. Gave me drive to rip the skin from his body piece by piece.

" _Nora…shh…No, Angel, don't cry, it's going to be okay, I've got you." I told her, rubbing her arms. Nora flinched. "Nora? Are you okay? What-" I cut off quickly. I looked down, and I saw a large red-purple splotch on her arm, as if…she'd been kicked._

" _What happened to your arms?" I began lifting her arms, inspecting them. The more I moved my fingers over her, the more the glamour faded and more bruises appeared. I firmly grasped her hands, moving them from her face._

" _Let me see your face." Nora began crying and turned away as I pulled her hands down. I gasped when I saw her face. One black eye; the other bloodshot. Bruising all around her skull, welts on her cheeks, both from handprints and from something else. Welts, running down her arms, down her back, and probably into her legs. Dried blood on her lips. I began to shake, and angry tears threatened to run down my face. That son of a bitch put his hands on my Angel! Hank Millar was going to pay for this. Every single bruise on her body; every single tear she shed, I'd make sure I crushed a bone and tore off skin. I'd wave it in front of him; force him to eat it and punch in the teeth behind it…_

 _Nora began to sob at this point, her eyes still closed. I was enraged, bloodlust running through my veins, but I had to stay calm. I was doing a terrible job as a boyfriend, but I genuinely did not know what to say to make this better for her. I'd frighten her if I told her how I exactly planned on murdering Hank. I didn't want to keep her dwelling on the negative; she deserved some sort of respite in her dreams. I lifted her face and kissed her lightly on the lips._

" _Angel…This is all my fault, and I am so sorry. I…" I stopped, struggling to continue. "I will find you. I will make sure that monster pays for every finger he laid on you. He will regret the day he ever hurt you… I will kill him. I swear on it."_

This doctor was commenting that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He had no fucking idea. He subtly moved over the healing scar on her arm, commenting that it couldn't have possibly been from within the last eleven weeks. My eyes thinned in suspicion, because I knew what had happened, but I set it aside for later.

"Tell her mother she can come in now. I have completed all but her reflex test." The nurse nodded and left the room.

When Howlett began to test her reflexes, Nora's eyes opened and she shot up.

"What's going on? Where am I?" she cried, flailing. Howlett practically jumped onto her to hold her down, pissing me off. "Let me go! _Let me go!"_

"Nurse! Bring anesthesia, now! She's having a panic attack!" he shouted.

"Stop! Stop yelling at me!" Nora cried, face red with tears. I walked over and jerked Howlett off by his collar, causing him to panic in the corner wondering what happened.

"No. _No!_ I didn't say anything! I didn't _say anything! Leave me alone!"_

That was telling, and I'd handle him soon.

"Help me! Someone help me! Don't forget I'm here please _please_!" Nora screamed. I turned to her; she was too weak to leave the bed but too delirious to stay. I placed my hand on her cheek and pushed her shoulder back. Her eyes widened in fear.

 _Angel, breathe. It's going to be okay. I haven't forgotten you. I won't let anything happen to you._

Surprisingly, she leaned back into the bed. Her eyes were still delirious, but she'd stopped flailing. I think the calmness of my voice and my touch helped.

"Dad? Daddy?" she whimpered.

She leaned her head into my hand, which she couldn't possibly see, and her eyes showed pure adoration, almost worship. I was caught in the moment, and didn't see Howlett rip her arm from the bed and out. Nora's eyes widened again, but before she could scream a nurse had injected her with the anesthetic. Her eyes shut and her body went limp.

Howlett sighed, body relaxing.

"Nora? _Nora!"_

Both of us tensed as an anxious Blythe ran into the room, holding cards, flowers and balloons. Once she saw Nora, she dragged up one of the chairs and quickly grabbed her hand, rudely pushing the nurse out of the way.

"What happened? I heard her screaming, what's wrong with her? Tell me everything, anything that I need to know!"

Howlett put his false face on, smiling and standing across from Nora. I leaned back against the wall, ready to hear the results.

"Nora's body is physically healing very well. There's evidence of physical abuse, but her bruises are minor. Nothing broken, nothing cracked. Wherever she was taken was filthy, because there's dirt all over her skin, but nothing is infected."

 _How in the hell did this man get a doctorate?_ Was it common for doctors to speak the obvious? I could have said all of that!

"There's no evidence of sexual assault, and she's not pregnant." Blythe and I sighed in relief. I hadn't even thought of that, and I wanted to kick myself. I'd have had to find a building large enough for all of the Nephilim I'd torture if she'd been... I didn't even let myself picture that image.

"Nora's mind is another story. There are different scenarios that could occur. She could be facing PTSD, and may have retrograde amnesia."

Blythe's forehead creased. "What?"

"It's when a patient loses pre-existing memories due to trauma they've faced. Nora may not remember her time kidnapped. The detective that brought her in-"

"Detective Basso."

"Yes. He said that she had no clue who he was, despite previously having met her, and had no clue where she'd been for that time. She may forget some time before that."

While Blythe gasped and brought her hand to her mouth, I nodded. I knew she'd forgotten. I'd made sure of it.

"How far? Is there the possibility that she wouldn't even know who I am?"

"I doubt it, Mrs. Grey. I can't guess, but I feel she may forget at least a couple weeks beforehand. She will still be able to function with help and proper rest. She may hallucinate, but-"

" _Hallucinate?"_

 _What?_ It would explain her screaming from earlier…hopefully that went away as she began functioning.

"It's traumatic. She may see glimpses of what she went through, or she may follow voices or noises that she thinks will help her remember. You will have to be patient, Mrs. Grey. She will be okay. We will need to let her remember on her own, but make sure she doesn't force herself. Again, rest is my best prescription." He chuckled at his bad joke, but Blythe simply ignored him.

"Thank you, Dr. Howlett. You've been wonderful for my family. First for Harrison, and now Nora. I'll never forget what you've done."

My eyebrows rose. Had this same doctor worked on Harrison Grey?

"Hank always said you were the best." She finished. Howlett flinched slightly.

No wonder I hadn't trusted him. Of course he was in Hank Millar's pocket. I needed to make sure this man never approached Nora again.

"Harrison was a good man. What I couldn't do for him, I could at least do for his daughter." Howlett replied.

My stomach turned with my disgust. How could he? I was a bad man, and even I didn't think I could stomach lying to a mother like this. At least he had the decency to look ashamed.

"I'll return later to check on Nora, Mrs. Grey. I'll leave you two alone." Howlett quickly left the room.

Blythe turned back to Nora, grasping her hand.

"Nora, I…I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you so much…but I'm a coward. I can't. I couldn't change your view of your father, and I…we…we wanted so much for you to have a normal childhood. We didn't want you to think that you weren't loved, or that you weren't chosen. You were. We love you more than anything." Her eyes teared up, and she wiped them away. "All those times I thought to myself, when you came home with issues from Marcie, was of how I could have faced them for you, that I could have stepped in and told Hank to…to be a better parent. That he needed to acknowledge us. But he has all of his secrets, and I just…I couldn't face the humiliation or scandal, or put you through it. I was, and am I coward. I put you in the way to shield all of my own issues, and then when you were gone…they all came rushing back." Blythe shuddered. "All I could do was pray. Pray to God and to Harrison that you were okay, and to forgive me for being such a bad mother. I'll do anything to fix this. I won't go away for work anymore, I'll figure something out. I'll never let anything happen to you again. I promise."

She placed her head in Nora's hands. Touching, really, but I couldn't help but feel disgusted at Blythe as well. Coward was right. Lying to her for all this time, allowing herself to be in the palm of the man who was willing to hurt- hurt his _own daughter._ Stupid and selfish were other words I'd throw in there, but I wasn't going to waste time on Blythe, not anymore. Nora was my concern.

I looked over them again, and then moved to leave the room. Nora would be going home between tonight and in the morning, so I needed to sweep their house and make sure it was safe. Before I left, I looked back at Nora's sleeping face. Calm, innocent, peaceful. I felt pity for her and myself; when she awoke she would struggle, but soon she would re-enter society, become the girl she was supposed to be before she met me. I would always be watching, knowing everything that happened that I couldn't prevent.

 **I wanted this chapter to reflect how Nora wasn't safe from the get-go, that influences have been over her life since the beginning. Also, I can't stand Blythe if you haven't noticed. I just...bleh she's such a hypocrite. Read and review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**While I technically don't need to bring it up, I'd feel...fake if I didn't. I messed up. Nora was in the hospital for three days, I only have her for one. I'm sure we could assume more time but...nah. So, my mistake.**

Chapter Three

 **Vee's POV**

"Stupid-tupid-Blythe. Stupid-tupid-cops. Not letting me pass, can't have visitors, what type of crap?"

I punched the bag, sweating, and mumbling to myself. I rarely exercised on my own, and _certainly_ not because I wanted to. But right now, I needed to punch something. Luckily Planet Fitness was open 24/7 and I had a pass. For…when I would exercise. I did it while Nora was gone. It gave me something to do, something to focus on because I didn't know what else to do and I didn't think eating my way through it would be good.

"But a hot dog would be great…no, nope, keep punching…"

Finally I stopped. I wanted- no, I _needed_ that hot dog. It was going to be about 2000 calories but…I ran off 200 earlier, and I'm sure punching for a half hour took 300 more. I hadn't eaten today either. It all worked out.

Two hot dogs and a diet coke later, I arrived at my house. 9:45pm; just on time to make curfew. It was all spotless in the living room, but noticeably my mother sat on the couch.

"Vee, are you feeling any better?" she asked me. I rose one eye. It wasn't like my mom to show genuine concern. Normally she's all hardcore. Especially after I've been dragged out by cops in public. She'd even let me leave out to work out today; it wasn't…normal.

"Yeah, I guess. I had to get rid of all that energy."

"Good, good."

"Yeah."

Mom sighed. "So, now that Nora is back, you realize that she will need your support. Things have been hard for her, I'm sure. Blythe called and told me to tell you that Nora is suffering from amnesia from her ordeal, so she will be a little lost. She will need time to adjust. Don't…don't overwhelm her, and _please_ try not to get her or yourself and any kind of trouble. _You_ may need an endless amount of it, but she will need to heal and has had more than enough."

Normally I'd have a smart aleck retort, and my mother would throw a pillow at me shouting parental advice as I got away with it. That's how this relationship went. But this was serious. Amnesia, huh? I turned my eyes away.

"Of course I'll take care of Nora. God knows what she's been through Mom, I'm not gonna force her to talk about it or put her in another situation like that again."

"Good." Mom smiled, and she turned the TV on. "Oh, by the way, whatever happened to that guy you were dating? What was his name….ahh….Richard?"

I stopped, looking at her funny. "Richard? I don't remember any Richard. Maybe you're thinking of someone on your soap operas; that's the only Richard that'd ever come into this house!"

"Very funny, Vee."

I walked into my room and threw my purse and kicked off my shoes. My room was a mess, and it was perfection. There were Nora's missing person fliers all over my desk, and with a grand gesture, I swept them all into the trash. I went to the shower, turning on my loud music and trying not to stress. Nora was back; I shouldn't have needed to de-stress. All of that waiting was over, now I'd just have to wait until Blythe let me see her. I hissed at the thought of her name. I was Nora's best friend! Kind of her only friend! How could she not let a best friend visit!

I started to become sad when I realized how alone Nora must have been. Not just when she was lost, but throughout her life. Nora didn't really have any family. Her dad's family was too far away to visit, and her mom's family never really even came up. The only people who would have personal reason to search for her would have been her mom, me, and…

Patch.

That _asshole._

Where had he been? All the trouble in her life starts just a week after she meets the guy, he comes around, screws her life around even more by dating that rat Marcie, and then vanishes when she goes missing. _He_ probably had something to do with her disappearance. But she'd never remember; he probably hit her over the head or something. The bastard. Except…except she'd told the cops that the person who kidnapped her was named Rixon. So whoever it was, she knew the name. I kept feeling like I could remember the name too, considering I was her best friend and all so maybe I'd seen them…but I couldn't.

Pissed, I stormed out of the shower, put on my pajamas and flopped on the bed. I wanted to call Nora, but…she probably didn't have her phone anymore. The past eleven weeks were the most silent I'd ever experienced. The only person who ever texted me because they liked me was Nora. I was positively sure I'd been talking to someone else….but I couldn't remember. Maybe it was that Richard guy my mom was talking about. Something about the thought made me angry, every time, about this mystery guy, but I just couldn't…think…

My phone buzzed, and I almost jumped off the bed. Unknown number.

 _It's Nora. Can you talk?_

I forced out something between a joyous scream and a shocked but delighted gurgle.

 _Babe?! Am freaking out. Am a total wreck. Where R U?_

The girl had done it! She'd found a way to me; that's my girl! I could cry tears of pride, I knew she'd do it.

 _Call me at this number._

Psht, she didn't have to tell me twice. I knew Mom was a stickler for curfew but luckily for me I lacked enough shame to not go dumpster diving a second time.

The phone rang, and it clicked. "Hello? Hello?"

"It's me!" Nora sobbed. My chest filled with emotion.

"Bout time. I was at the hospital all day yesterday, but they wouldn't let me see you. I bolted past security, but they called a code ninety-nine and chased me down. They escorted me out in handcuffs, and by escorted I mean there was a lot of kicking and bad language being slung in both directions. The way I see it, the only criminal here is your mom. _No visitors?_ I'm your best friend, or did she not get the memo every year for the past eleven? Next time I'm over, I am going to _lay into_ that woman."

Hearing Nora giggle was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. It seemed so normal to have her back, and I didn't know how much I appreciated her.

"Vee," she breathed. She was happy that I was there, too.

"Are they giving you quality drugs? Apparently Anthony Amowitz' dad is a pharmacist, and I could probably score you some good stuff." That perv always was looking at my chest, but if it meant for Nora…

"What's this? You and Anthony?"

 _Don't even._ "Heck, no. Not like that. I've sworn off guys. If I need romance, that's what Netflix is for."

"Where is my best friend and what have you done with her?" Nora teased.

 _Excuse moi?_ "I'm doing boy detox. Like a diet, only for my emotional health. Never mind that, I'm coming over." I'd just told my mom…well, I said I'd take care of Nora. "I haven't seen my best friend in three months, and this phone reunion is crap. Girl, I'm gonna show you the bear in hug."

"Good luck getting past my mom. She's the new spokesperson for helicopter parenting."

 _Damn it Blythe!_ "That _woman_! I'm making the sign of the cross right now."

Nora sighed. _Uh oh, here comes something serious._ "I want a rundown of the days leading up to my kidnapping, Vee. I can't shake the feeling that my kidnapping wasn't random. There had to have been warning signs, but I can't remember any of them. My doctor said the memory loss is temporary, but in the meantime I need you to tell me where I went, what I did, and who I was with that last week. Walk me through it."

 _Mmmm…I don't know about this._ Nora was my bestie, but I was serious about protecting her. I didn't want her to suffer a serious breakdown, especially when she came back to us. I wasn't overly sure about that last week either, to be honest, besides the big stuff.

"You sure this is a good idea? It's kind of soon to stress about that stuff. Your mom told me about the amnesia-"

"Seriously? You're going to side with my mom?"

The last thing I needed was for Nora to think that there was another person who wouldn't be by her side. I didn't want to risk it. "Stuff it," I said.

For the next twenty-five minutes I explained to her what had happened, but only from my point of view. I couldn't know everything, but I decided to leave out the Patch stuff. Once he was removed, the last week seemed like nothing but bland wasted time. That's how I was sure he wasn't trustworthy. I didn't want her looking for him. He needed to stay wherever he was and leave her alone. She needed to stay safe. I explained to her the night she'd been kidnapped, and everything that had went down at Delphic. She was shocked when I told her about the shooter psychopath that had taken her hostage, then just left. The worst part was that the guy, the one that could have been the kidnapper, was ghost.

"Did the police have any leads? This guy-whoever he was- he couldn't have been a complete ghost."

"They said he was most likely using a phony name. But for what it's worth, you told them his name was Rixon."

"I don't know anyone named Rixon."

Well, she may have, but she had reason to forget. Me, on the other hand… "That's the problem. Nobody does." There was that angry feeling again, and I still didn't get it. "Here's another thing. Sometimes I _think_ I recognize his name, but when I try to remember _how_ , my mind goes blank. Like the memory is there, but I can't retrieve it. Almost like…there's a hole where his name should be. It's the freakiest feeling. I keep telling myself maybe it's just that I _want_ to remember him, you know? Like if I remember him-bingo! We have our bad guy. And the police can arrest him. Too simple I know. And now I'm just babbling. Still…I could have sworn…"

I shook off my thoughts. Here I was telling someone who suffered full blown amnesia what my own blip in memory felt like. Of course she knew. I'd be offended if I were her. I heard Blythe speaking in the background of the phone.

"Vee, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Send the witch my love."

I hung up, feeling emptier than I thought I would. Again…if I could _just remember…_

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	5. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

 **Hey, so I want to take this time to address a concern that was brought up many a times by you all while waiting for me to update.**

 **I have been slow this go around. I admit and understand that. I do believe that I should have done what I normally do, which is wait until I have about five chapters written about before I publish the story on the website. I need to catch up more with my chapters. So I apologize for making all of you, as faithful readers, wait for me so much without giving you an explanation.**

 **The past 8 months of my life have been some of the hardest I've ever been through. But it's gotten better. I am a junior in college right now. Adulthood...while I do love it, let me tell you going back to preschool where there were naps and snacks sounds about great. I am very involved on my campus, including a job, and some of that even requires me to be busy during the summer. So balancing life is harder for me, but I'm working on it, and I actually think I've got a pretty good plan set up so that I can do more writing. But I need you all to remember, that this is a beloved hobby of mine, but not my job. Lol American college is expensive; I need to be on my Ps and Qs to make sure I can receive my scholarships and keep my work to continue going to school.**

 **That being said, it's no excuse for making you wait so much without any notice. A recent reviewer, Annie, explained to me that it would be considerate for me to write an author's note to keep you in the loop, and that makes perfect sense. Also, to the other guests, don't die XD**

 **I want to thank you for at least taking the time to read this, even if you don't necessarily accept my apology or agree with me, because it means you're still willing to understand and I appreciate that. I will try to update more frequently, or keep you in the loop if not, but I beg your understanding and ask your kindness.**

 **Thanks,**

 **ITea**


	6. Chapter 4

**I hope it's long enough!**

Chapter Four

 **Hank's POV**

"Now, my girl, are you ready?"

Marcie's face twisted into a smirk. I didn't know whether or not to be proud of her, or disgusted. Her desire to do this… "prank" was petty, so naturally she'd be willing to participate. _Just like her mother Susanna…_ I shook off the thoughts. I'd need a way into Nora's life; eyes on her at all times. There was also something else I needed. Something important that Marcie had unwillingly slipped to me about Nora, that may have held the key to my success in this war. Something that, unfortunately, I could not attain myself. Not at this point. No, I needed an in…and as much as Marcie hated Nora, she was my only connection.

"So ready. And the note will vanish? After she reads it? That's so cool." She commented, snickering. "And that police car can't see us? This is so crazy." On the outside she was pretending to be brash, but I could practically feel apprehension rolling off of her. She almost didn't want to do it, but why?

I had to tell Marcie some of the truth- about me, the Nephilim, the fallen angels. While I would have preferred not to, there was no other way to convince her along. I hated being so desperate.

"Yes, my dear. I will make sure no one can see you. You'll walk right into the front door once she walks out of it. Simple." I looked at her again taunting her. "Marcie, are you concerned about Nora's safety?"

Marcie turned to me, wild eyed and angry. "Hell no. I'll never be concerned about that— I'm ready. I've got the stupid paper."

Smiling, I began stretching my powers. The use of my new powers, enhanced by devilcraft, gave me more ability than I'd ever imagined. I no longer needed to be as close to any victim, and with Nora's ruined state of mind, controlling her would be nothing. I found her mind restless, and I took advantage of it. Being ironic, I began putting small memories of hers back into her mind of her fallen angel; just enough to where she would be interested.

"Dad. Dad!" Marcie cried, breaking my concentration. I swallowed an angry sigh, turning to her and smiling.

"Yes, Marcie?"

"Send her back to where they found her; wouldn't that be funny? She'll have to relive that whole thing again!"

It was stupid. It certainly wasn't from me that Marcie gained her stupidity…but in there, was a great idea. I'd learned that Nora was, like her own mother, extremely nosy. So I'd send her to the graveyard where my men ripped the wings from that arrogant angel's back. It would certainly allow enough time. Nora followed the thoughts like a duckling, positive she'd find answers. As she walked away into the night, her eyes glazed right over where my car waited. As soon as she was out of sight, Marcie got ready to run into the house.

"Remember, Marcie. Touch nothing. If things are missing they'll know someone was here. Understand?"

Marcie rolled her eyes, and I had to force myself not to backhand her. "Dad. She has nothing I want. Terrible style, and cheap? Uh, _no_." She folded her legs as if to lean back to continue talking, and I had no time nor patience for that.

" _Go."_ Marcie's eyes glazed over, and she quickly ran up to the back door.

* * *

 **Patch's POV**

I stood in the shower, soap rinsing off. Would've been nice to feel the water; let it relax me. Although as tightly wound as I was, I doubted it would have worked. No matter how much I tried, Hank Millar's infuriating face and demeanor kept coming to mind. I had no time for his games. He'd taunted me with that smug prick look he always had on. I'd visited one of his warehouses earlier in the night, thinking he had something important for me. I hated my few visits; it was a blow to my pride every time and his irritating henchman were a bunch of large muscled punks, and they seemed to think that just because I wouldn't eliminate them meant that I couldn't.

" _Look, it's the fallen angel!"_

" _Isn't that the one that…I can't remember his name, but I heard we ripped his wings out!"_

" _Pathetic! How's it feel to be a traitor?"_

 _Their taunts never bothered me beyond annoyance. I'd heard and faced worse and barely given it a nod. Instead, I followed behind Hank, waiting for him to show me whatever it was he planned on mocking me with this time. Finally, he stopped at a cage. With a flourish, he removed the canvas from over it. Inside an archangel, with an eerily familiar face, glared back at me. I looked at Hank, filled with disgust, and he had the nerve to look at me as if I should applaud him._

" _You brought me here to show me this?" Clearly he had a thing for traps; it fit his personality. "Do you understand the risk I take every time we meet? Don't call me to chat. Don't call me here for a shoulder to cry on. Don't ever call me here to show off your latest conquest." I didn't like it when people wasted my time. His penchant for games was ridiculous and if I hadn't made that deal for Nora…_

" _Patience, boy." As if I weren't thousands of years older than him. "I showed you the archangel because I need your help. Obviously we both have questions." He looked back at the cage. "Well, she has answers."_

 _What questions could I possibly have for the archangels? "My curiosity for that life died a long time ago."_

" _Whether you still want it or not, this life is still yours. I've tried everything to persuade her to talk, but she's cagey, pardon the pun. Get her to tell me what I need to know, and I'll turn her over to you. I doubt I need to remind you the trouble the archangels have caused for you. If there were a way to seek revenge…well, surely I don't need to say more."_

 _It was a great tribute to Nora that I felt no need to bite his bait. I felt no need for revenge anymore, especially not in this manner. No, it was just another one of Hank's petty tricks._

' _Traitor! Monster! Devil!' The archangel hissed in my mind constantly. 'I'll never say a word! Do your worst you Nephil chew toy!'_

 _I tried to zone her constant barking out of my mind. "How have you managed to keep her caged?"_

 _Hank sneered. "Sawed off her wings. Just because I can't see them doesn't mean I don't have a pretty good idea where they are. You put the idea in my head. Before you, I never would have imagined a Nephil could un-wing an angel."_

… _What?_

' _You!' the archangel screeched. 'My beautiful wings! He cut off my beautiful wings because of you?! You let them take your wings? You pathetic excuse for a-'_

 _I pushed out her yelling as I quickly took this in. He sawed them off. They weren't willingly given. They weren't pulled off. No regular strength saw would tear through spiritual matter. My eyes darkened as I looked at him._

" _An ordinary saw wouldn't cut through her wings."_

" _I didn't use an ordinary saw."_

" _Whatever you're messed up in, Hank, I'd advise you to get out. Fast." I didn't know what the hell the archangels were doing (except screwing around because even the youngest of the fallen knew how to avoid/fight Nephilim) but if it could capture even an amateur like this one, it was something powerful that Hank couldn't possibly know the depths of._

" _If you knew what I was 'messed up in', you'd beg me to let you in on it." Unlikely. "The archangels' empire won't last forever. There are powers out there that surpass even theirs. Powers waiting to be harnessed, if you know where to look."_

 _Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the archangel do a hand gesture to ward off the evil of his blasphemy, and although I was millennia out of practice even I had the temptation to do it. But I wasn't going to stick around and deal with his arrogance any longer. I turned to leave._

" _Our agreement, boy."_

 _If he called me boy again… "This wasn't part of it."_

 _He proceeded to offer me some of his men. Like they were nothing._

" _I wonder what your men would think if they knew you were selling them off to the highest bidder."_

" _Swallow your pride. Pushing my buttons won't settle the score. Let me tell you why I've made it as far as I have in life." By slowly taking over another man's empire? "I don't take things personally. You shouldn't either. Don't let this be about you and me, past differences. We both have something to gain. Help me, and I'll help you. It's as simple as that."_

 _This man…no, this sociopath. I'd thought Chauncey was bad, but he was child's play compared to this. Even the archangel had gone silent._

" _Last time you walked away from an offer of mine it ended disastrously." Hank intoned, sneering again. The man's lips never seemed to be finished curling. We continued talking, and I suggested that he let the archangel go. To be honest, I was losing interest in the conversation and wanted nothing more than to leave. I didn't know why I was letting him waste my time like this. Yes I did- it was because at any point he could go back on his deal, and I refused to let that happen. Still, his words about heaven began to drone._

" _I know about the necklace."_

 _What? He went from all that big talk to jewelry? The archangel's hand rose to her throat. Oh- the chain._

" _I'd rather not reveal my source. Obviously all I need now is an actual necklace. You're smart enough to know this is where you come in. Help me find an archangel's necklace. Any one will do."_

 _Why exactly would this be something I needed to do? Any Nephil could find a fallen angel, fight, and get a necklace. He just wanted to send me off like a lap dog…or his plans weren't open to the entirety of the community. Interesting. "Try your source." I answered, smirking._

 _Hank's mouth finally pressed; I finally had gotten to something he actually needed to bargain on._

" _Two Nephilim. Your choice, of course. You could alternate between them-"_

 _I stopped him before he could continue. "I don't have my archangel's necklace anymore, if that's where you're going. The archangels confiscated it from me when I fell." It was a lie, but I wanted to know just how much he knew while he was being so 'open'._

" _That's not what my source tells me."_

" _Your source lied."_

" _A second source confirms seeing you wearing it as recently as this past summer."_

… _No. No! He didn't…he did not use Marcie as a source…it was laughable and I did just that._

" _You didn't. Tell me you didn't bring your daughter into the middle of this."_

" _She saw a silver chain around your neck. This past June."_

 _I looked at Hank, reevaluating him. Was this a sign that he was being backed further against the wall than he wanted to let on? "How much does she know?"_

 _Hank's eyes popped just for a second. "About me? She's learning. I don't like it, but my back's against the wall." Bingo! "Help me, and I won't use her again."_

" _You're assuming I care about your daughter." Surprisingly he'd never brought up me being Marcie's guardian angel; maybe she still hadn't told him?_

" _You care about one of them. Or used to."_

 _I tried to control myself, but couldn't handle the twitch in my face. How fucking dare he bring her into this. Nora was safe. He had no reason to be around her; he'd sworn on his life that he'd leave her alive. Still, it was a slip that I shouldn't have made. The bastard had nerve to laugh at me._

" _After all this time, you're still stoking the fire. A pity she doesn't know you exist. Speaking of my other daughter…"_

I hated him. It wasn't even in the way that I hated others, either. I hated the archangels because of the despair and regret they caused me. I hated Chauncey and other Nephilim because the ease they had of existing, and because they were arrogant half-breeds. But Hank…he was in an entirely different category. I hated him on principle; the man was sick. He disgusted me on a personal level. He loved to play games and I genuinely believed that he thought he could become god. His arrogance knew no bounds. It infuriated, disgusted, confused and exhausted me. I was over all of these games that heaven and earth wanted to play with me. There was only one reason I walked anymore, and she…she'd never see me again. I could never be with her.

I got out of the shower and sighed, drying off. There was no point to thinking about it. Really, my self-pity wasn't this bad since…well, whatever. I threw on some pants and walked into my kitchen, sure I wouldn't be able to sleep despite my exhaustion. I sat on a stool and laid my head on the counter. Suddenly, I heard some footsteps from behind me. Trying not to show my concern, I didn't move. I slowly looked up, ready to confront who was in my home…

And there she stood.

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	7. Chapter 5

**So I put a lot of thought into this one, and realized that Patch really kind of set himself and Nora up. Like obviously stakes were high but...**

Chapter Five

 **Patch's POV**

Pajamas, curly hair, eyes wide and confused.

Nora.

 _W-what? How…_

I must have fallen asleep. I must have. There was no way she could have gotten here, let alone after her memory had been wiped. This meant she was somehow still thinking about me. But…how? Could her memory wiping have been botched? _Had that bastard purposefully messed it up…_

 _But am I that powerful in her memories? Does she care that much?_

I shook off my thoughts in the iota of a second they'd been on my face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked warily. What did she remember?

Silently, she stared at me. Her head cocked to the side, and I knew she was connecting the dots somehow. Finally, she answered. "You tell me."

 _Her voice…_ It was the first time she'd spoken directly to me since before her memory had been wiped. Her voice was weak, but I could already hear her intent. She wanted answers. I walked past her, looking down the shadowed, twisted tunnel that she came through.

"This is a dream. You realize that, don't you?" I wasn't asking if she actually knew; I was confirming. She wasn't confused enough for this to be a shocking new experience.

"Then who are you worried followed me?"

As upset as I was, I was struggling to contain my humor at the remark. Nora was here. Right here, in front of me. She was even giving me Nora-grade responses. I swallowed it down.

"You can't be here."

She gave me her indignant look. "Looks like I found a way to communicate with you. I guess the only thing left to say is I'd hoped for a cheerier reception. You have all the answers, don't you?"

My humor died, and it turned into dread. She'd gotten right to the point, which was not something I was used to the old Nora doing. I placed my fingers over my mouth, trying to keep my emotions in check. I had to do this. I had to keep myself in control, to keep her safe. "I'm hoping to keep you alive."

Nora's face fell, and she looked at me with such confusion that I wanted to crack. Her eyes clearly asked me why I wasn't excited to see her, or why I wasn't giving her what she wanted. And I wanted to. I wanted to be excited, and to give her all the answers.

"Why can't I remember anything? Why can't I remember how or when or-or why you left?" she cried. _So she can't remember her isolation, but she somehow remembers me…?_ I didn't understand what could have happened. I also didn't want to believe it, but I understood why she thought I'd left her. "Why haven't you tried to find me? What happened to me? What happened to _us_?"

My heart was breaking, seeing her like this. I hung my hands on the back of my neck, and I closed my eyes. I was trying to calm down, trying to filter out my emotions, but all I could see was when we were last separated in that warehouse before her mind was erased.

" _If you don't find me, Patch Cipriano, it's because you weren't looking! You lied! You said you'd find me!"_

 _I didn't know how to respond; she was right. I'd failed her, miserably. Men began lifting her up, but she fought back against them._

" _Don't let them take me again! Patch!" She knew she couldn't leave with me; she was panicking out of her fear. I knew that there were tears running my face. I knew that I couldn't get her back, due to my oath, and because Hank had my feather. I was caught, and I hated the cowardice that I was facing it with._

"Why did you leave me?" Nora choked.

I couldn't be that coward again. I couldn't look her in the face, promise her that I could love her and keep her safe by being by her side, because I couldn't keep that promise. But I'd never leave her. Even if she never spoke to me again, I'd be there to protect her.

"You really believe I left you?"

Nora's sad face only became more red and distraught. "What am I supposed to think? You've been gone for months, and now, when I finally find you, you can barely look me in the eye."

"I did the only thing I could. I gave you up to save your life." _But was it?_ My inner voice intoned.

 _You could have avoided all of this by simply continuing to fight and trusting that Nora would be okay._

That thought had never occurred to me so blatantly before. It almost took me aback, but I struggled to put it aside, frustrated. "It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right one." It was! It had to have been…

Nora looked indignant again. "Gave me _up_? Just like that? How long did it take you to make your decision? Three seconds?"

I'd never forget it; three whole seconds that changed everything. "That's about as long as I had, yes." It had all been going so well, I'd finally been about to fix it all with Nora…and then Hank.

"Someone forced you to leave me? Is that what you're telling me?"

I'd let that slip. Just a couple minutes around her and all of my decisions to keep her safe by not having her around me had already began to crumble. Maybe my resolve wasn't as strong as it used to be.

"Who forced you to leave? Who scared you that much? The Patch I knew didn't run from anyone. I would have fought for you, Patch. I would have _fought!"_

 _She could have…_

 _No she couldn't!_

"And you would have lost. We were surrounded. He threatened your life, and he would have made good on that threat. He had you, and he had me too."

"He? Who is _he_?"

 _Goddamnit!_ My frustration was building. It wasn't at Nora; but more of her questions. Of course she had the right to ask them, but my inability to give her anything other than excuses was infuriating me. I wanted her to stop.

"Did you even try to find me once? Or was it that easy-"her voice caught, which I'm sure made my heart jump "-to let me go."

I threw the towel off of my shoulders, needing to let off some steam. I was breathing heavily at this point, and I knew I needed to stop. No more questions. I didn't even know who I was fighting with anymore; Nora or myself.

"You can't be here," I spat. "You have to stop looking for me. You have to go back to your life, and make do the best you can. Not for me-"I said, as she was known to pull that excuse, "For you. I've done everything to keep him away from you, and I'm going to continue doing everything I can, but I need your help."

"Like I need your help?" Nora hit back. "I need you _now,_ Patch! I need you back. I am lost and I'm scared. Do you know I can't remember one single thing? Of course you know," she answered her own question, with an undertone of 'everyone does'. "That's why you haven't come looking for me. You know I can't remember you, and it lets you off the hook. I never thought you'd take the easy way out. Well, I haven't forgotten you, Patch. I see you in everything. I see flashes of black—the color of your eyes, your hair. I feel your touch. I remember the way you held me…" She looked away, hiding her face behind her hair.

I was still struggling on the inside. Of course it would be hard for her, assimilating back to Coldwater culture. I could sympathize with her embarrassment. My irritation at all of her assumptions fought against the frustration that I wanted to assuage her, and let her know it'd be okay. I wanted to hold her the way she remembered….but I couldn't hold her and she couldn't remember. I couldn't let her.

"It's better if you don't know. That's the worst explanation I've given you yet, but for your own safety, there are things you can't know." It came out harsh, but there was no space for sugarcoating.

Nora laughed. A pained, tired laugh. "So this is it?"

Automatically, I went to her, wanting to console her, but I stopped myself. _No. Don't touch her._ Instead I leaned on the doorjamb next to her, being as close as I could. I wanted to run my hands through her hair. I could tell she wanted to touch me, and I really wanted to let her. I wanted to hold her and never let go so there was no way anything could happen to her, and this time I wouldn't mess up. I wanted to take advantage of the time we had…but that had never worked before, and there was no reason to let it happen this time.

"This isn't over," she whispered. "After everything we've been through, you don't get the right to brush me off. I'm not letting you off that easily."

I wouldn't be surprised if she meant it. Something occurred to me. If I let her go, she could wake up and actually pursue her intentions of finding me. It could actually get her hurt.

"I want to protect you."

"But you didn't."

 _Just one touch. Just one, and then you'll never need to again. She needs this reassurance._

 _Or you do._

I cupped her chin, raising her face so I could see her eyes. "Do you really think so?"

Besides, it didn't matter. I knew what I had to do. She 'tried' tugging away.

"I don't know what to think. Can you blame me?"

 _No._ "My history is long, and not much of it is good. I can't erase it, but I'm determined not to make another mistake. Not when the stakes are this high, not when it comes to you. There's a plan in all this, but it's going to take time." I pulled her into my arms, pushing her hair off of her face. I didn't want to make this difficult for either of us, but I wouldn't allow her to pull away either. I wanted to be tender, but firm. Then she started crying, and my resolve wavered. "If I lose you, I lose everything."

"Who are you so afraid of?"

I brought my hands to her shoulders, and laid my forehead on hers. _I could just stay like this, forever._

"You're mine, Angel. And I won't let anything change that. You're right. This isn't over. It's only the beginning, and nothing that lies ahead will be easy." I sighed. _I don't need to go through with this. I could stop right here, and find another way._

 _No. Stick to your word._ "You're not going to remember this dream, and you won't be coming back. I don't know how you found me, but I have to make sure you don't do it again. I'm going to erase your memory of this dream. For your own safety, this is the last you'll see of me."

Everything moved so quickly. Nora looked up in alarm. I reached up from her shoulders and grabbed the sides of her face firmly. _I don't need to do this. I could kiss her. I could kiss her right now._

I watched as her eyes rolled back and her body turned to sand, blowing away.

 **I re-read that chapter and I felt kind of bad from his point of view. Read and review!**


	8. Chapter 6

**Don't worry, this is the last chapter of beginnings. There's just a lot of characters that need introductions. If you haven't read _Insanity,_ this is one of the characters that is specific to my own universe (at least, in her background and intentions). I also really like to write about the angels. Idk it's just so fun to imagine them and their own stories. **

Chapter Six

 **A Caged Angel's POV**

 _My name…_

 _My name is…_

 _Acadia._

 _That's who I am._

 _And I'm going to get out of here._

That's all she thought about. Acadia sat in the cage, repeating the mantra to herself as she waited. Eventually the archangels would send someone to get her. They had to. She refused to think otherwise.

"Boo!"

Acadia jumped; another one of those half-breeds were trying to scare her again, dragging a pipe across the bars of the cage and shouting. Her nerves were so frayed from being in the cage that while she'd never be afraid of them, the noise they made was hard on her.

"What's wrong? Why don't you just use your pretty wings and fly away?" they teased. The Nephilim finally went away, cackling. Acadia scrunched up into a ball, tears filling her eyes. She didn't want to feel weak. Tired. Ashamed. Hopeless. But that's how she felt. She remembered when they sawed off her wings.

" _No… No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

 _She yanked against the chains that held her down, trying her hardest to escape. The chainsaws were two inches from her beloved wings and the revving was like hell to her ears. She panicked, and it overcame her._

" _Please! I'll do anything please not my wings!" It shamed her to have even let those words slip her mouth._

 _The half-breed monster leaned over her and looked into her desperate eyes._

" _Of course." He held his hand up and the hellish chainsaws paused. "Just tell me what I need to know."_

 _She hesitated, her eyes widening and her lips unconsciously pursing. Before she could speak, he shook his head._

" _Shame. I'm sure they're gorgeous wings. I wouldn't know; I can't see them. But I've already got a pair of wings in my study. Willingly given, mind you."_

 _Acadia couldn't help it. "Never! No proud angel would EVER give you their wings! I refuse to believe you!"_

 _The monster laughed. "Oh, dearest but he did. In fact, he begged me to take them. So much for Heaven's solidarity. Last chance." He reached over and yanked her hair towards himself, making her flinch. "Tell me what I need to know."_

 _Her eyes filled with tears. "I…I can't. I can't! Please you've got to understand I cannot tell you! You don't know what you're doing; you cannot possibly understand—"_

 _The monster rolled his eyes and pulled away, waving his hands. "You will scream so loudly you'll deafen yourself with the sound of your own screams. Then you can spare both of us hearing your excuses."_

 _The chainsaws revved again. Acadia screamed as they hit her wings, sending feathers flying in all directions and causing her both physical and mental devastation. The monster simply held his hands over his ears, sneering._

Her eyes filled with tears. She'd never been so violated. The shame she felt was more than she could bear. Yet the one thing she was proud of is that she didn't crack. No words had come from her after her slip of begging, and they wouldn't. That's why he needed a necklace.

That's why he had that bastard fallen angel working for him. The one who'd given his wings and sworn loyalty to…to a _Nephil._ Her disgust overwhelmed her pain. How could he? How could he look that monster in the face and want to work for him?

 _The girl._

The one she came down for. Nora Grey. This girl was important somehow, and Acadia had been determined to find her. So much so that she'd willingly risked everything to take the dangerous route and try to actually swoop in and save her. _Stupid._ Something about the girl was somehow important to the movements of both Heaven and Hell, and Acadia was so ready to be important that she'd been determined when she was assigned to find her that she failed. She'd overstepped her boundaries. She was only supposed to find the girl, not save her.

" _Oh, Nora. It's taken so long to find you. I sense an evil around you; it has debilitated your mind and body. Awful. What a shame." She stated. "It would be so much easier to just kill you now. Oh, not because it's personal, but simply to remove the issue at hand."_

 _Nora Grey looked at her with grumpy reproach that she wasn't sure she appreciated. She was saving this human's life. Regardless, this was her chance to shine in the eyes of Heaven._

" _However, others need claim we need your survival. The powers of Heaven demand mercy for you. And so, Nora Grey, I am here to release you."_

 _Suddenly, three shining blue whips came from out of nowhere, yanking Acadia by her neck and arms to the ground. Men came barreling in, trying to grab her. She began to flap her wings and flail in a panic, screaming and trying to fight her way from them. The wind toppled Nora Grey's sick bed into the wall, and then on its side on the ground. The men- the Nephilim- were able to yank a glowing gag into Acadia's mouth and bind her with glowing rope. She gave Nora Grey a terrified look, one that suggested that she'd never had to experience such fear before._

The same girl was the girl that that fallen angel must have re-fallen for. The half-breed monster had said so. Even though all she held in her heart was hatred for an angel that was willing to give up his wings and show so much cowardice, she still saw how caught he was. He didn't want to be there. The monster held him just as much captive as he held her. At least he could move more in his cage. But it was a cage nonetheless. He was useless to her, and as such when the monster came to gloat over her she spat pure vitriol at him. He should have been the one in the cage, not her. She should have been home.

No one was coming to save her. Her brother, Ecanus, had been on this same mission for the longest. She didn't know what purpose he served, but she'd planned on him being so proud of her when he found out she'd done it. She'd solved the case. He could come home to Heaven.

* * *

" _Look, Conny! I'm flying!" she squealed._

" _Please don't call me Conny. My name is Ecanus. And we all can fly." He spat, irritated._

 _She laughed it off. "Oh, stop being so serious all the time, Conny!"_

 _She'd been nothing but a cherub, freshly sprouted into Heaven. It was rare to have "siblings" because the angels weren't born, but it had been somehow determined that she would be Ecanus Basso's sister. At first he'd found it irritating, as he was hundreds of years older than her and was going to be a matured angel soon. He had always been a serious student and a quiet being. But Acadia was a precocious child, very talented, and he learned to accept and teach her. Acadia admired her brother above all things. Everything he did, she wanted to be. She followed in his footsteps everywhere._

 _When she finally got her first assignment, he'd been extremely proud. All she wanted was for him to be that proud of her again._

* * *

How stupid she was, and how pathetic she was. Heaven had to know where she was, but if they hadn't sent someone yet…

 _No. I must keep calm. I can get out of here._

She knew what she had to do. She'd done it before and it had been successful, if only for a little while. She had to contact Nora Grey. The half-breed monster was trying to find a necklace to get her to talk. When her powers hadn't been so depleted, she had been able to tell the girl to dispose of her own archangel's necklace. Now he was looking for another. She would be forced to talk. She couldn't allow that to happen, not after failing so much. It was the only way.

She wasn't sure she had the power to do it, but there was no risk in trying. Trying to relax, she began to stretch her mind. Slowly, she ended up in…a human bathroom stall. The girl's mind was in shambles, full of confusion that she was too weak to break through quickly. Finally, Nora sensed her. Acadia had so much to say. So much she could have said.

Instead she broke down.

 _Help me,_ she whimpered.

Nora's mind felt the disturbance.

 _Help me, Nora. When he finishes with me, it will be like I'm dead. I'll never go home again._

Tears began falling from her eyes at the thought of never going home again. Of never flying freely. Of never seeing her brother again.

Nora began looking around. "Who's there?" she asked.

Acadia was confused. Did she not remember who she was? No, of course not- the monster had said so. He'd erased her memory. Her heart filled with fear that it may all have been hopeless. Acadia rolled onto her back, and began looking at the warehouse to show the girl how she was being tortured. Finally Nora's presence appeared in form of a shadow.

 _He sawed off my wings. I can't fly home._

If Nora Grey was useless…

 _Help me Nora._

Acadia watched as her shadow began to try to find a way to escape. Acadia quickly grabbed onto the bars to look the girl in her face. _Don't give him the necklace! He thinks you have it. If he gets the necklace, he can't be stopped. I'll have to tell him everything!_

The shadow began to vanish as the girl began to push Acadia out. She struggled to stay, to tell her more, but finally she was banished back to the cage by herself.

That was it. Her power was practically gone at this point. If Nora Grey didn't come to her senses soon…

She was finished.

 **I just...I really wanted to show the depths of Hank's depravity. Like in the books he's very surface level asshole, and he puts that off, but it's hinted that he's actually got a much deeper sociopathy. I also wanted to give Basso background that we never even consider (or care about).**

 **Lol y'all don't care, y'all wanna see the next Patch chapter. No love for me, I see. I'm working on it. Half of it is already done, just needs finishing and polishing. Read and review!**


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

I was driving towards Gabe and his gang. I sensed that something was off; call it a gut feeling, but I knew I had to be there tonight. Still, I was annoyed. Gabe wasn't my favorite person on the planet; in fact if he weren't a lackey I required I'd probably kick his ass for fun again. Speaking of the devil, I heard Gabe's loud mouth as I pulled up to the 7-eleven.

"Well, well boys. Guess who came to the party after all?" Gabe said, sneering. I got out of the car, carefully, so as to not let my thoughts show even though my cap was on. He looked at me proudly, waving a tire iron at a bloody mess on the ground. Nephilim, I sensed, so he'd be okay.

"Decided to join us after all? This one's offered resistance. Doesn't want to swear fealty…"

I wasn't listening. While scanning my surroundings, my eyes fell on a girl. A beautiful, red haired girl, crouched on the ground.

She'd tried to come find me. She'd found me once, and I'd erased her memory, and she still came looking…I was filled with desire as I looked at her. For her to remember me, to know me, to love me…

She looked back at me in fear, and I realized why I was there. Because she wasn't supposed to be. My gut instinct had been right. Only a moment had passed for all of this to process.

"Why is she here?"

 _Oh, Angel._

Gabe's face only minutely twitched, but then his bravado showed back up. "Wrong place, wrong time."

"Now she's a witness." I didn't want to have to do this violently, not in front of her. This wasn't a dream; she could actually be hurt here.

Gabe had nerve to be defensive. "I told her to keep driving." His eyes sparked at my questioning of his "authority". I wasn't intimidated.

"And?" _She's clearly still here._ I could see he never gave her the chance, and I wondered what else he'd planned to do with her.

"She wouldn't leave."

It wasn't unbelievable; it sounded like Nora. However, he had the ability to simply mind-trick her into leaving, why didn't he use it?

"She's going to remember everything." I said, trying to lead him to the idea.

"I can convince her not to talk." Gabe said, swinging the tire iron. _That's right, he's too fucking stupid._ He luckily didn't know how important she was to me either, or he would have known I'd make him _eat_ the tire iron if he approached her.

I stayed calm. "Just like you convinced this one to talk?" It was impressive how much pain these Nephilim could take lately; Hank was doing an unfortunately good job with his men.

Gabe finally dropped the façade and frowned, and Jeremiah and Dominic took subtle step back. They knew their place; he was the only one who hadn't figured it out.

"Got a better idea?"

"Yeah. Let her go."

Gabe snorted. _Got a thing for red on broads, don't you?_ "Let her go? What'll stop her from running straight to the police? Huh, Jev? Thought that one through?"

"You're not afraid of the police." My unspoken 'are you?' was enough for Jeremiah and Dominic to take another step back.

Nora broke into our conversation, distracting me from the tension.

"If you let me go, I promise I won't talk. Just let me take him with me." She begged, pointing at the Nephil on the ground. Her eyes dropped to the ground, and I knew full well that she was lying. The guilt would get to her and she'd have to talk.

I turned back to Gabe. "You heard her."

Gabe finally scowled, losing his patience. "No. He's mine. I've been waiting months for him to turn sixteen. I'm not walking away now."

"There'll be others." I stretched and placed my fingers over my head, noting all three of them do a slight flinch. I shrugged for effect. "Walk away."

 _God, he's crazy. No, Gabe's crazy. Jev's psychotic,_ Dominic whispered in mind-speak.

 _You'd think Gabe would have learned from that first ass-kicking…_ Jeremiah whispered back.

Gabe kept talking. "Yeah? And be like you? You don't have a Nephil vassal. It's going to be a long, lonely Cheshvan, pal."

There was a time in my life where I would have kicked his ass and taken his Nephil in front of him, but that's not why I was here. I was trying not to be the same person I was.

"Cheshvan is still weeks away. You've got time. You'll find someone else. Let the Nephil and the girl go."

Gabe stepped up, and I was slowly losing patience with this conversation. I didn't want to be violent in front of Nora, but…

"You turned us down earlier. Said you had other business tonight. I'm sick of you strolling in at the last minute and calling the shots. I'm not leaving until the Nephil swears his oath of fealty. This is my night," he said, spitting at his feet, "I'm ending it on my terms."

 _Yeah! Yeah…_ Dominic cheered until he looked down. "Wait a minute. Gabe! Your Nephil. He's gone!"

 _Son of a bitch!_ Gabe shouted at me. "He couldn't have gone far. Dominic, go that way. Jeremiah, check the store."

Well, with the two of them gone taking Gabe down would be much easier.

"What about her?" I said, nodding at Nora.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and go bring me back my Nephil?" Gabe shouted, frustrated.

I rose my hands. "Have it your way."

Gabe's face lit up with triumph. I genuinely hoped he enjoyed it. He clearly wasn't in the mood to negotiate. Which was just as well; I wasn't going to waste any more time on someone I knew I could take down. He wasn't my concern; Angel was. She wasn't safe here, and I was more concerned about getting her away and making sure she hadn't been hurt. Gabe would just love the idea that I'd lost to his will. I began to slowly stroll away, gaining speed as I headed toward the discarded tire iron on the ground. Perfect.

"You're going to walk away, just like that!" And then a groan as she hit the ground.

It took everything in me not to turn then, to stay patient, but my muscles clenched with regret. All of her screams came back to me. She thought I was leaving her again _. I'm not going anywhere, Angel. Trust me…I won't leave you again._ I wished I could have reached out, told her…but I'd already made my choice. No, I made our choice. I had to stick to it, for her own safety and happiness. She wouldn't, shouldn't, remember me.

"It'll be easier if you don't watch." Gabe purred. "One solid hit, and it'll be the last thing you feel."

I heard her yelp in pain as I leaned over and silently picked up the tire iron. I tightened my fist around it.

"You can't do this!" she screamed. "You can't just kill me!" _I know. I won't let him._

"Hold still!"

More struggle. "Don't let him do this, Jev!"

I only froze for a moment. It's the only time she'd ever actually used my name. My real name- though she didn't know any better. I'd hated going by it, but when I went undercover, I took it back. I'd been Patch for so long, yet from her mouth…she could have said anything…

 _Focus!_

Like lightning, I moved behind Gabe and plunged the tire iron into his back. He gurgled and fell forward onto Nora, and she scrambled from underneath. I tightened the iron and wiped my arm across my forehead. _Damn_ ; he was meatier than a damn cow; it took some effort to shove it through his back.

"You- stabbed him." Nora blurted.

"And he's not going to be happy about it, so I'd suggest you get out of here." I was more worried about her saving herself and sparing her the image of me joyfully beating the tar out of Gabe. I heard no escaping footsteps. "Sooner rather than later."

She took a step back. "What about you?"

 _What about me?_ I looked up and studied her face. It was strained, on edge, but still beautiful. _Aw, Angel. You shouldn't be here._ I wanted her to be safe. I wanted her to be safe with me. Just looking at her, I doubted my resolve. How was I going to sit to the side, watching her and never being with her? She'd be safest in my arms…

 _Just like she was when they came to take her, right?_

Before she could read into my expression, I spoke. "You can sit tight, but I'm guessing B.J. already put in a call to the cops." I went back to the tire iron, screwing it in tightly for good measure. Then I lifted Gabe's body and dragged it to the weeds in the alley nearby. "On the back roads, at the right speed, you can put a couple miles between you and this place."

"I don't have a car."

 _What?!_ I cut my eyes at hers. She had the decency to look sheepish. _Don't you know what you've been through?!_ No- no she really didn't. She was just being… Nora.

"I walked here. I'm on foot."

"Angel," I sighed, before I could help myself. _Shit!_ Her eyes widened, and thinned as she looked at me. Studying me, trying to remember, to connect the dots that had to be missing.

"Do I— know you?" she asked me.

I wouldn't even entertain an answer, more for me than her. "No car?"

"No car." She answered, clearly put off by my answer.

I leaned my head back. Was she going to be this hard to protect? Of course she would be- she was stubborn, fiery, fierce, everything that I... But I asked for this. I had no right to be so selfish. I deserved this torture for failing her, to have her so close and yet never be able to… _Let it go. She's here, and she needs to be home._ I sighed inwardly, then stood. _Don't fail again. Do your job, let her go. You aren't worthy. Just…let her go._

"Get in." I said, pointing at the SUV. She didn't move, so I walked toward the SUV to open the door.

"Wait. We have to stay and testify. If we run, we might as well be confessing our guilt. I'll tell the police you killed Gabe to save my life. We'll find BJ and get him to testify too."

I didn't know if it was how naïve she was or how evil I must have been, but I found that entire statement laughable. Telling the police, getting the Nephil, 'killed' Gabe? _What? Ha!_ Too funny.

"All of the above would be true if the police could be relied on." I opened the door to get inside.

"What are you talking about? They're the police. It's their job to catch criminals. We're not in the wrong here. Gabe _would_ have killed me if you hadn't stepped in."

"That part I don't doubt."

"Then what?"

"This isn't the kind of case local law enforcement is set up to handle."

"I'm pretty sure murder falls under the jurisdiction of the law!" She was so cute thinking that she was right.

"Two things. First, I didn't kill Gabe. I stunned him. Second, believe me when I say Jeremiah and Dominic will not go into custody willingly and without a lot of bloodshed." Why was I even telling her all of this? I suppose I was trying to give her more of a choice in her own matters, but…

She jumped, then went quiet. Gabe had twitched, but it seemed like something else disturbed her.

"Tell me what you're thinking," I blurted quietly.

She hesitated, only for a moment. "I saw Gabe do-a trick. A magic trick." So he had known to use some of his mind-tricks on her. "He made me see something that wasn't real. He turned himself into a bear."

"That's the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what he's capable of."

Nora swallowed. "How did he do it? Is he a magician?"

"Something like that."

"He used magic?"

 _Nora, please…_ "Close enough. Listen, time's running a little thin." She still wasn't moving. She was still looking at Gabe's body in the bushes. Maybe she didn't hear the sirens…? I walked over and began leading her to the car. "Time's up."

She was dragging her feet. She still wanted to tell the police.

"If you hang around to talk to the police, you'll be dead before the week is over. And so will every cop involved. Gabe will stop the investigation before it starts." As sad as that thought was, Nora was my main concern and I was about to pick her up and throw her in the car. But then she turned and followed me to the SUV.

I hit high gear, backing out and speeding down the street. Nora jumped, and my eyes rose and appreciation as Gabe stumbled out into the street, tire iron and all. He must have used the last of his energy to sprint to the light. I was impressed. Then he tucked, as if he was going to block the car. I sneered- only slightly, but still.

Nora cringed and grabbed onto her seatbelt. "You're going to hit him!"

"He'll move." I was all about this game of chicken that he wanted to play. He'd either cower or I'd hit him; it was win-win.

"Jev—stop—right—now!" Nora gasped.

"This won't kill him either."

Nora gave me the shortest incredulous glance. Then I really hit the gas. Gabe came sprinting at the car and actually made contact with the glass. Nora screamed, and then I realized I'd been selfish. I shouldn't be playing pride games when she was with me.

"He's on top of the car." I said, noting he didn't hit the ground. I drove over the curb and into a bench, then into some trees, trying to knock him off. Finally, I swerved back into the street.

"Did he fall off? Where is he? Is he still up there?"

"Hang on."

"To what!"

I braked, swerving the car into a full 360 and paused. A satisfying slide came from the top of the car. I put the car into first gear, speeding off. Gabe said something out loud, but in my mind I heard " _I'm gonna get you and your little broad!"_

 _And my little dog too, asshole._

I drove off into the night, satisfied.

 **Lol I love how we forget, reading about romantic Patch through Nora's eyes, how much of a savage Patch can actually be. It's so much fun writing it! Read and review!**


	10. Chapter 8

**I've finally gotten through September! October is much lighter on me in terms of time to write, so...hallelujah! I also realized that my god Nora is annoying when you're trying to avoid her questions. I was trying my best to write this all from Patch's perspective and my goodness she's just...stop it, you know? Damn, he's trying here!**

Chapter Eight

 **Patch's POV**

I realized that I never asked Nora where I should drop her off. I'd just been driving. Soon, I'd hit a path I was familiar with, near a lodge in a fairly wooded area of town. It was safe enough. Her mom could come get her. I stopped the car.

"Can you find your way home from here?"

She gave me an incredulous look. "You're just going to dump me here?"

 _It sounds awful when you put it that way…_ "If you're worried about Gabe, trust me, he's got more on his mind right now than tracking you down. He won't be doing much of anything until he gets the tire iron out. I'm surprised he had the strength to chase us as far as he did. Even after he gets it out, he'll have what I can only describe as a killer hangover. He's not going to be in the mood to do much other than sleep for the next several hours." _Ahh...sleep._ "If you're waiting for the perfect moment to make a break for it, you aren't going to get a better one."

She didn't move. Maybe…she was in shock? Did she forget the other two?

"I need to make sure Dominic and Jeremiah clear out."

She still didn't move, and I turned to face forward.

"Why are you really protecting them?" she asked, unmoved. It was like a teacher scolding a preschooler; I even tried not to fidget.

"Because I'm one of them."

Her hair moved in my peripheral; she was shaking her head. "You're not like them. They would have killed me. You came back for me. You stopped Gabe."

What was with stating the obvious? Whatever; she wasn't moving quick enough for my comfort, so I got out of the car, went to her side and opened the door.

"Head that way to town." I told her, pointing down the road. "If your cell phone doesn't work, keep walking until the trees clear. Sooner or later you'll get reception."

"I don't have my cell."

 _Oh my-_ Why was this so familiar? Squashing my frustration, I continued. "Then when you get to Whitetail Lodge, ask the front desk for their phone. You can call home from there."

Giving me an evil eye, she slid out of the car. "Thanks for saving me from Gabe. And thanks for the ride." _Here it comes…'but…'_ "But for future reference, I don't appreciate being lied to. I know there's a lot you aren't telling me. Maybe you think I don't deserve to know. Maybe you think you hardly know me, and I'm not worth the trouble. But given what I just went through, I think I've earned the right to the truth."

This approach…was different from the Nora of before. Just as persistent, just as nosy…but with a steel to it that I respected. Or maybe I just felt bad. Either way, I nodded. "I'm protecting them because I have to. If the police see them in action, it will blow our cover. This town isn't ready for Dominic, Jeremiah, or any of us." I looked at her, taking in my words and analyzing them. "And I'm not ready to leave town yet." She looked so…different. Still soft, still an over-thinker, but sturdier. Stronger. It was so… _attractive_. I found myself walking closer.

"Are you Nephilim?"

She broke the connection the moment that came out of her mouth, and I jerked away. My thoughts ranged from _hell no_ to _what the fuck_ to _that's disgusting._ Finally I was able to filter away my personal shouldn't know that word. She shouldn't be aware of any of this, of any of what just happened.

To my shame, I panicked. "Go home and get on with your life. Do that, and you'll be safe."

Her eyes, so strong before, filled with tears. _Oh no…don't cry…_ I took her by her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Look, Nora," _Fuck!_

"How do you know my name?" she said, stiffening.

Hundreds of years of espionage and it all went to shit when this one…beautiful girl…looked at me with tears. That either said something about her power over me, or I was just losing my touch. I finally looked down at her, wondering if I should just break all and tell her the truth. The moon came out, and I saw her gray eyes probing for answers. No…not probing…answering her own questions. She knew me, and she _knew_ she knew me. But it didn't look like she was afraid.

"We knew each other, didn't we?" she whispered. "Tonight isn't the first time we've met."

I should have just taken her home and dropped her on her porch. I could've wiped her memory. She would have been fine. It was all exhausting to think about the 'should haves' and what ifs.

"Do you know about my amnesia? Do you know I can't remember the last five months? Is that why you thought you could get away with not knowing me?" She demanded.

"Yes."

Her eyes were feverish. "Why?"

"I didn't want to pin a target on your back. If Gabe thought we had a connection, he could use you to hurt me." It was more than what she asked for. But she continued on.

"How did we know each other? And after we left Gabe behind, why did you still pretend to not know me? What are you keeping from me?" I didn't answer, and she even began tapping her foot. "Are you going to fill in the gaps?"

"No."

" _No?"_

Really, I'd forgotten how exhausting Nora's questioning could be. She could have been an interrogator with those skills. She was asking too much, making me think about the last eleven weeks, even beforehand when we'd broken up…I didn't want to.

"Then you're a selfish jerk!"

She needed a new insult. I brushed it off. "If I had anything good to tell you, trust me, I'd start talking."

"I can handle bad news." She said, pouting.

 _Not this bad news._ I began walking to the car, when she grabbed my arm.

"Tell me what you know," she hissed. "What happened to me? Who did this to me? Why can't I remember those five months? What was so bad that I'm choosing to forget?"

I didn't know all of those answers. I only knew of a few of the horrors that had happened to her in that basement, and those were bad enough that I refused to tell her. "I'm going to give you some advice, and for once, I want you to take it. Go back to your life and move on. Start over if you have to. Do whatever it takes to leave this all behind. This will end badly if you keep looking bad."

"This? I don't even know what _this_ is! I can't move on. I want to know what happened to me! Do you know who kidnapped me? Do you know where they took me and why?"

 _That just went in and out of your ears, didn't it?_ "Does it matter?"

Nora's eyes widened, and she let go of me, shaking. Her hand unconsciously went to her wrist, the wrist where…

"How dare you," she whispered. "How dare you stand here and make light of what I've been through?"

My next words didn't come out as strong and rhetorical as I intended. "If you find out who took you, is it going to help? Will it be the closure you need to pick yourself up and start living again? No."

"Yes, it will." She replied.

 _Oh, Jesus Chr- fine!_ "We knew each other. We met five months ago, and I was bad news from the moment you laid eyes on me. I used you and hurt you. Fortunately, you had the good sense to kick me out of your life before I could come back for round two. The last time we spoke, you swore that if you ever saw me again, you'd do your best to kill me. Maybe you meant it, maybe not. Either way, there was a lot of strong emotion behind it. Is that what you were looking for?"

I was remembering when she thought I was the one who killed her father. But I also added what I wished she had said to me; what I wished she'd felt. That she'd avoided me and threatened me. It would have saved her eleven weeks of torture, and I'd deserve every bit of it.

Nora blinked, in shock. She couldn't believe she'd be so mean. "Why would I say that? What did you do that was so horrible?"

"I tried to kill you."

She looked at me, waiting for me to finish the joke. There wasn't one.

"You wanted the truth. Deal with it, Angel."

"Deal with it? It doesn't make any sense. Why did you want to kill me?"

I loved that she couldn't believe she'd want to hurt me. I hated that she didn't believe it. I wanted to roll my eyes.

"For fun, because I was bored, does it matter? I tried to _kill_ you."

"If you wanted to kill me back then, why did you help me tonight?"

 _Oh my goodness._ "You're missing the point. I could have ended your life. Do yourself a favor and run as far and as fast from me as you can." I jerked away and pointed in the opposite direction.

"You're a liar."

 _Now she says something that makes sense!_ I turned, furious. "I'm also a thief, a gambler, a cheat, and a murderer. But this happens to be one of the rare times when I'm telling the truth. Go home. Consider yourself lucky. You've got a chance to start fresh. Not everyone can say the same."

Why was she making this so hard for herself? Why was she making this so hard for me? _Selfish…._ Selfish was right. I was trying to let her go. I was trying to let her be happy. Even in trying to do good deeds, I was still going to suffer. I just…I just wanted for her to be happy and I just wanted us to be together and that wasn't going to happen and…and…

"One last thing. Stop looking for me."

"I'm not looking for you." She scoffed.

I tapped her head, noting that she blushed. "Under all the layers, a part of you remembers." And I was talking to that part, that stubborn fighter that made it through that eleven weeks. "It's that part of you that came looking for me tonight. It's that part that's going to get you killed, if you're not careful."

I loved that part of Nora. I loved every part of Nora. But I couldn't be with either one, and I certainly didn't want them to die.

The sirens in the background broke us apart.

"What am I supposed to tell the police?"

"You're not going to tell the police."

She snorted. "Oh, really? Funny, because I plan on telling them _exactly_ how you rammed that tire iron into Gabe's back. Unless you answer my questions."

Then I snorted. "Blackmail? You've changed, Angel." Had she? I remembered her ploy during the last weeks of her capture…Yes, this was a new, hardened part of her.

"If you know me as well as you claim to, you know I'm not going to stop looking for whoever it was who kidnapped me until I either find them, or hit rock bottom."

"And let me tell you where rock bottom will be. Your grave. A shallow backwoods grave where no one will find you. No one will come to your gravesite and mourn for you. As far as humanity is concerned, you'll vanish off the grid. It will wear on your mom. That constant menacing sense of the unknown. It will peck away at her, driving her closer to the edge until it shoves her over. And instead of being buried in some green-lawned cemetery beside you, where loved ones can visit you until the end of time, she'll be alone. And so will you. For eternity." The more I spoke, the more I didn't know if I was talking about her mother or me. Maybe both…maybe both.

Forever hard-headed, Nora rose herself taller. I didn't miss the fear in her eyes.

"Tell me, or I'll rat you out to the cops, that's a promise. I want to know where I've been. And I want to know who took me."

I dragged my hand down my face. _She doesn't listen. You don't listen! What the hell is wrong with you?_

"Who kidnapped me?" she shouted.

I looked at her. She was going to torment me. I wasn't going to get off easy with just watching from a distance. I loved her, but…this was going to be much harder than anything I'd done.

"You're not supposed to be in this anymore. Even I can't keep you safe." Call it quitting, but I was finished for the night. I was leaving; she could stay here and ponder and tell police and whatever she wanted. It's not like it really mattered.

"What am I not—"

My eyes rolled back and I crashed to the ground. I was tensed, unable to move, only for a moment as Nora fell to the ground behind me. I jumped up, seeing her on the gravel, and…

I ran.

I jumped into the Tahoe, stepped on the gas, and hightailed it. I only made it about two blocks before _what is she seeing right now_ turned into _what if somebody unsavory finds her,_ and _She needs to be alone, I need to be away_ turned into _what if somebody…_ My mind slipped back to when I found her in the cemetery, when the Nephil almost…

I hit the brakes, swerving the Tahoe to the side, jumped out and ran back. _What the hell am I doing? What am I thinking?_

I stopped a few feet away from her, hiding in the grass. I watched as she sat up, confused, calling my name.

 _I'm here. I'm sorry…I'm here._

Finally, she began walking towards the lodge, and I silently followed behind.

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	11. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

 **Vee's POV**

"Was I…friends with Marcie?"

I choked on my doughnut, and it took everything in me not to chuck it out in Nora's face. _Friends? With…Marcie? Oh no, who were you with and what have they done to you?!_

"You and the ho, friends? Did I hear that right? I know you've got the whole temporary memory thing going on, but how could you forget eleven years' worth of Little Miss Pain in the You Know What?"

This summer Nora had been driven to an extreme. I'm talking, in a trance, going to bust windows out of cars, extreme. It was scary. And even if she didn't remember that, I'd been through years of being her best friend and I'd seen all the shit Marcie had pulled. She couldn't possibly believe good of…of that skank!

"What am I missing? If we weren't friends, why did she invite me to her party?"

That was an easy answer. "She invited everybody. She was fund-raising for the new cheerleading costumes. She wanted twenty bucks from us at the door." I smugly remembered throwing in some condoms. It was great. "We almost left right then, but you just had to spy on—"

I paused. Patch was still a gray area. She didn't remember him at all. That bastard had vanished in the summer with her, and had done nothing but torment her by potentially cheating with Marcie. Even to the point of her breaking her with obsession. What kind of friend would I be to bring that asshole back into her life?

"Spy on who?" Nora asked.

"Marcie. We went to spy on Marcie. That's how it was." I said, nodding. It wasn't a complete lie. We ended up spying on her anyway, and getting her diary… _that I never got to read._ Shame. I could have had a field day with it.

"And?"

"We wanted to nab her diary." Okay, so I wanted it as reward for the whole stupid spy mission, but details. "We were going to print all the juicy parts in the eZine. Pretty epic, right?"

Nora simply looked at me. It was kind of odd- I was used to the old Nora quickly asking questions, quickly going with my stories. She was never this…observant.

"You realize how made up that sounds, right? We'd never get permission to publish her diary."

"Never hurts to try."

She pointed at me. "I know you're keeping something from me."

"Who, me?" I tried my prettiest pout.

"Spill it, Vee. You promised not to hold out on me again."

"All right, all right. We went to spy on—" _Who am I going to say who am I going to say_ "Anthony Amowitz." _What?!_

She looked the same way I felt at picking that pig as a crush. "You lie."

 _I aaaammm…._ "I—had a crush on him." I was blushing furiously, but only because it was making me sick to my stomach saying something like that. She'd better be lucky I cared about her.

"You had a crush on Anthony Amowitz."

"A lapse in judgment. Can we not talk about it please?" _But really._

"First, swear that you aren't holding anything back. Because this whole story sounds shaky."

Eh…swears meant nothing anyway. _Or so I hope._ "Girl Scout's honor. We went to spy on Anthony, end of story. Just keep the verbal abuse to a minimum. I'm humiliated enough as it is." If she kept asking, I might break.

Nora nodded, accepting my answer. "Okay, back to Marcie then. She cornered me at Coopersmith's last night and told me her boyfriend, Patch, gave me a necklace that I was supposed to pass on to her."

I started choking again. This was all just too unreal. "She said Patch was her boyfriend?"

So the ho was lying to my best friend. Not in the way I was, to protect her. No, the ho had schemes. Well, there'd be no bullshitting my best friend, not while I was around.

"I believe the term she used was 'summer fling'. She said Patch was friends with the both of us."

"Huh." Friends. That was literally the last thing I could label that entire…fiasco from the summer.

She began tapping her finger against the table. "Why do I feel like I'm in the dark, all over again."

"I don't know any Patches. Anyhow, isn't that a dog's name? Maybe she made him up. If Marcie's good at one thing, it's messing with peoples' minds. Best to forget all about Patch and Marcie. Boy, oh, boy aren't these doughnuts to die for?" I lifted one and held it in her face. I noted she hadn't eaten.

She put the doughnut down. "Does the name Jev ring a bell?"

 _Thank goodness, no more lies._ "Jev? Just Jev? Is that short for something?"

"I ran into a guy," she explained. "I think we knew each other, maybe before the summer. His name is Jev."

"Can't help you babe." Maybe he'd had something to do with her kidnapping?

"Maybe it is short for something. Jevin, Jevon, Jevro…"

"No, no and nope." She didn't sound frightened of this person, so…maybe not.

She frowned, and pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing now?" I asked.

"Sending Marcie a text."

"What are you going to ask her?" Was she really trying to mend things with that slut? Did…did she somehow think they'd truly been friends? "Listen, Nora—"

She shook her head. "This isn't the start of a long term thing, trust me. I believe you, not Marcie. This will be the last text I ever send to her. I'm going to tell her nice try on her big fat lies."

 _That's my girl._ "You tell her, babe. Tell that cheat her lies are futile with me watching your back."

We only waited half a minute before she got a response. Nora rolled her eyes.

"Cheery as ever."

"Here's what I think." I said, leaning in. "Your mom and Hanky Panky might not be such a bad thing. If it gives you a leg up on Marcie," and more specifically, those funds, "I'd say promote the relationship full force."

She smirked at me. "Of course you would."

"Hey now, none of that. You know I don't have one evil bone in my body."

"Only two hundred and six of them?"

 _Dawwww that's my best friend._ I grinned. "Have I mentioned how good it is to have you back?"

 **Short, I know! It's just to tide you over till the next chapter, and to bring a little...light to the story. (Someone's out there going "Fuck light! I wanna be miserable and dark with Patch!" and you should know I find you funny XD) Read and review!**


	12. Chapter 10

**Guys- I haven't been getting my email notifications! Like, I usually get them when I post, and when I have reviews. I haven't received a thing in about two chapters, and I'm wondering what's wrong with the site. Has anyone experienced the same?**

Chapter Ten

 **Scott's POV**

 _Okay…_

 _You can do this…_

I followed behind the white Volkswagen that I paid for, noting the irony. I remembered when she followed behind me in the Mustang the first time. I couldn't believe how much things had changed. _She most definitely looked at me just now_ …maybe she didn't recognize the hair cut? The car? Probably the car. I didn't think she could forget little ol' me. _Especially after you'd been such an asshole._

Well…I'd see. I followed Nora all the way to the pier, and then out of her car. I was feeling more and more nervous as I slowly walked behind her. How would she feel if I said something? What should I say? Could I be suave, cool? Sweet? _Nah, I'm not that sweet._ We hiked along the rocky terrain near the beach, and it seemed like she was just going to keep on going until she tripped on a rock. I came up behind her to help, but the moment she saw my shadow she jumped back. Her eyes were wide but defensive, and I reacted to fill her in on why I was there.

"About time you left your house. I've been trying to get you alone for days." _Jesus fucking Christ, Scott. Just….damn it! Couldn't be any less creepy?_

She jumped up, scanning my face. "I'm sorry, do I we know each other?"

 _What?_ "Do you think you were followed? I tried to keep tabs on all the cars, but I might have missed one. It would have helped if you'd circled the block before parking." I began looking around, remembering that I had to be extra careful because Nora was here.

"Uh, I honestly have no idea who you are."

 _Come on, Grey._ "That's a strange thing to say to the guy who bought the car you drove here in."

She looked at me, her eyes thinning. "Wait. You're- Scott Parnell?"

Huh. See, I'd heard about the amnesia, but I thought it was just because she'd just been found. "I heard about your amnesia. Rumors are true, then? Looks like it's bad as they say." I couldn't help but wonder if this meant I had a clean slate, and could act like she liked me a lot more than she did.

Nora scowled, and crossed her arms. I guess not. "While we're on the subject maybe now's a good time to tell me why you ditched the Volkswagen at my house the night I disappeared. If you know about my amnesia, surely you've heard I was kidnapped."

I began scanning the trees some more, trying to force the smirk away from my face. "The car was an apology for being a jerk." For somebody who didn't remember shit, she was certainly confident in her assumptions. It was kind of funny.

"Let's talk about that night. It seems we were both shot by Rixon earlier that night. That's what I told the police. You, me, and Rixon alone in the fun house. If Rixon even exists. I don't know how you pulled it off, but I'm starting to think you invented him. I'm starting to think you shot me and needed someone else to blame. Did you force me to give Rixon's name to the police? And next question, did you shoot me, Scott?"

I could have said anything. I could have mentioned how she just came up with all of that in about two seconds after meeting me. I could have said that if I had shot her, there clearly was no need to either tell her that or to let her live. I could have even mentioned that she needed to shut up and listen. But no. There were more important details, and quite frankly, I didn't like remembering anything about that night.

"Rixon's in hell now, Nora." She flinched. Well, it was the truth. He was a fallen angel, scary as the hell he now lived in.

"Rixon's dead?" she whispered.

"He's burning in hell, but yeah, same basic idea. Dead works as far as I'm concerned." As long as he wasn't up here to torment me, I was safe from at least one more person.

"How do you know? Have you told the police? Who killed him?"

I had a feeling, but I wasn't really interested in going down that path. "I don't know who we get to thank, but I know he's gone. Word travels fast, trust me." He'd been famous in the Nephilim, fallen angel, and human underground. A key player doesn't just vanish without being noticed.

"You're going to have to do better than that. You might have the rest of the world fooled, but I'm not bought that easily. You dumped a car in my driveway the night I was kidnapped. Then you ran off into hiding—New Hampshire, was it? Forgive me if the last word that comes to mind when I see you is 'innocent'. I think it goes without saying: I _don't_ trust you."

I'd forgotten she could be such a… _Give her a pass; she's been kidnapped and it's enough to put anyone on edge not to remember their own life._ I sighed. "Before Rixon shot us, you convinced me that I really am Nephilim. You're the one who told me I can't die. You're part of the reason I ran away. You were right. I was never going to end up like the Black Hand. No way was I going to help him recruit more Nephilim into his army."

Nora paused. Her face turned a little white, and I noticed her jaw twitched.

"I told you that you're…Nephilim?" she asked. She closed her eyes, almost like she was trying to block out the answer that she already knew. So it really was all gone…all of her memory, even from before she met me. That was harsh…I couldn't imagine.

"What I want to know is why you can't remember any of this. I thought amnesia wasn't permanent. What gives?"

As soon as I said it I knew it was shallow. "I don't know why I can't remember! _Okay? I don't know!_ I woke up a few nights ago in the cemetery with _nothing._ I couldn't even remember how I'd gotten there." Her face went all red and she started sniffling. _Damn, Scott. Look what you did- now she's going to start crying…_ "The police found me and took me to the hospital. They said I'd been missing for nearly three months. They said I have amnesia because my mind is blocking the trauma to protect myself. But you want to know what's crazy? I'm starting to think I'm not blocking anything. I got a note. Someone broke into my house and left it on my pillow. It said even though I'm home, I'm not safe. Someone is behind this. They know what I don't. They know what happened to me."

I frowned. I remembered watching the Black Hand over the summer…. "They?" So it could make sense…somehow…

She threw her hands up. "Forget it."

"Did the note say anything else?"

"I said _drop it._ Do you have a Kleenex?" Finally, two big tears fell down her face. I realized that she was like how I was, lashing out. I felt bad.

"Hey." I held her shoulders, trying to be supportive. "It's going to be okay. Don't cry, all right? I'm on your side. I'll help you figure out this mess." She didn't push me away, so I tried actually hugging her and patting her back. My mom used to do that with me when I was little, I remember that helping…up until a certain point. Nora seemed fine with it. "The night you went missing, I went into hiding. It's not safe for me here, but when I saw on the news you were back and couldn't remember anything, I had to come out of hiding. I had to find you. I owed you that much."

Nora actually smiled. It was a soft smile, and it warmed my heart. She stepped away and wiped her face. "Why isn't it safe for you to be here?"

"The Black Hand is here. Just to make sure we're clear, you remember nothing of this? I mean, nothing as in _nothing?"_

"Nothing."

"Sucks to be you," I responded. _Way to be sensitive…_

I began to explain to her what a Nephilim was, and how I wouldn't die. It was fun watching the panic on her face when I stabbed my leg, even though it was actually painful and I hoped no one jumped out of the trees on me. Surprisingly, she was very open, if hesitant, about all of the things I was telling her. I'd always noticed that about Nora though- once she dropped those pretentious, defensive walls, she was actually pretty cool. It honestly sounded like I was the only person who'd been honest to her this whole time (because who else really could?) and that made me feel pretty good.

"Hank is _what?"_ she asked me, shocked. I'd just told her that the scariest criminal mastermind I'd ever dealt with was the prim, proper car salesman, Hank Millar. The reason I had to live in the cave we sat in. The reason I had to constantly keep on the move. The person that…if I put the dots together…I started to think had something to do with Nora's kidnapping. We continued on, further into detail about what a Nephil was, and the types of things that they could do.

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	13. Chapter 11

**So I've been thinking about starting to imply Harrison as more than a friend to Hank. Not like...full blown romantic "i love him" relationship, but something a tad bit deeper level than a bromance. Like I know it's unlikely, but I created this whole storyline in my head and it's actually fantastic. What would you guys think?**

Chapter Eleven

 **Scott's POV**

The irony in it all was that she'd known all these things about me before I did. She'd been the one to convince me away from using my powers, from dealing with the ring, from hurting myself any further. When she decided to keep talking about it, I grabbed my fishing stuff and left. She followed behind me, slowly.

"Fine, I'll put all talk of your powers on hold. But I'm not finished! There are still way too many gaps. Let's go back to the night I disappeared. Do you have any guesses as to who kidnapped me?"

I sat down on a log to get my rod ready. "At first, I thought it had to be Rixon. That's before I learned he's in hell. I wanted to come back and look for you, but it wasn't that simple. The Black Hand has spies everywhere. And given what happened in the fun house, I figured I'd have the cops on my tail, too."

"But?"

"But, I didn't." I looked at her. "Don't you find it a little strange? The cops had to have known I was in the fun house that night with you and Rixon. You would have told them. You possibly told them I was shot too. So why didn't they ever come looking for me? Why'd they let me off the hook? It's almost like—"I paused. I knew where I was going, but I didn't know if she was ready.

"Like what?"

"Like someone came in after and cleaned up. And I'm not talking about physical evidence. I'm talking about mind tricks. Erasing memories. Someone powerful enough to make the police look the other way."

"A Nephil, you mean."

I shrugged. "It makes sense, doesn't it? Maybe the Black Hand didn't want the police looking for me. Maybe he wanted to be the one to find me himself and take me off the record. If he finds me, trust me, he's not handing me to the police for questioning. He'll lock me in one of his prisons and make me regret the day I ran out on him."

I shuddered, shaking away the thoughts of the dark hole that place had to be. If he had the power to erase all those other peoples' memories, could he have erased Nora's? But…what would there be to gain from that? Nora was pointless in the grand scheme of his.

"How many Nephilim have that kind of power?"

"Who knows? Definitely the Black Hand."

"Have you ever heard of a Nephilim named Jev? Or a fallen angel, for that matter?"

"No. But that's not saying much. Almost as soon as I found out about Nephilim, I had to go into hiding. Why?"

"The other night I met a guy named Jev. He knew about Nephilim. He stopped the three guys-he stopped the three fallen angels I told you about from forcing a Nephil named B.J. into fealty. This is going to sound crazy, but Jev gave off some kind of energy. I felt it like electricity. It was a lot stronger than anything else the others gave off."

That sounded intense. "Probably a good indicator of his power. Taking on three fallen angels speaks for itself." That dude sounded crazy.

"He's that powerful, and you've never heard of him?"

"Believe it or not, I know about as much as you when it comes to this stuff."

She paused, taking it all in. Again, I was shocked and proud that she was understanding this so quickly. Especially considering talking to Nora could be like telling a brick wall to move. She was being very strong about it. I guess she didn't really have a choice.

"Knowing what I do about the Black Hand, I'm surprised I'm still a free man. He must hate that I've made a fool of him."

"About that. Why did you desert Hank's army?"

I sighed. _Me and my big mouth. I could lie…say something about stealing from him._ I'd been in all that pain and stress from lying to Nora before. I didn't want to lie again. I put my hands on my knees, bracing for her anger.

"This is a conversation I didn't want to have. There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to put it out there. The night your dad died, I was supposed to keep an eye on him. He was on his way to a dangerous meeting, and the Black Hand wanted to make sure he was safe. The Black Hand said if I succeeded, it proved he could count on me. He wanted me in his army, but it wasn't what I wanted."

Nora tensed. "My dad—knew Hank Millar?"

"I blew off the Black Hand's order. Figured I'd give him the finger and make my point. But all I really succeeded in doing was letting an innocent man die."

She blinked, before flushing bright red. "You let my dad _die_? You let him walk into danger and did nothing to help him?"

I spread my hands, panicking at her tone. "I didn't know it was going to be like that. I thought the Black Hand was crazy. I had him pegged as an egotistical freak. I never got the whole Nephilim thing. Not until it was too late."

She wouldn't look at me. She just stared at the ocean, clawing at her legs.

"Rixon pulled the trigger. I let your dad walk into a trap, but it was Rixon who stood at the end of it." I finished talking, because I knew this was it. She'd either understand, or leave me here by myself.

"Rixon," she croaked. I could tell she was remembering…it was good memories, but she was remembering.

"If Rixon didn't kidnap me, who did?"

Relieved that she was still talking to me, I answered quickly. "Remember how I said I spent the summer following the Black Hand? At the beginning of August he made a trip out to White Mountain National Forest. He drove to a remote cabin and stayed less than twenty minutes. A long drive for such a short visit right? I didn't dare get close enough to look in the windows, but I overheard a conversation he had on his phone a couple days later. He told the person on the other line that the girl was still at the cabin, and he needed to know she was a clean slate. Those were his words. He said there was no room for error. I'm starting to wonder if the girl he was referring to—"

"Was me." She finished.

I still didn't get why he'd want Nora. Although…it was likely that maybe she wasn't the one that he wanted, per se.

"There's one dude who could possibly get answers." I rose my eyebrow, wondering how the hell we'd find the guy, and if I'd want to. He was criminally famous _before_ I'd known he was fallen. "If anyone knows how to get information, it's him. Tracking him down could get tricky. I wouldn't know where to start. And given the circumstances, he might not jump to help us, especially since the last time I saw him, he nearly broke my jaw for trying to kiss you." It was funny now, but there were definitely a few nights that I saw a scary dark shadow swinging at me. I'd wake up at the sound of the crack of my own jaw.

Nora scrunched her face. " _Kiss me?_ What? Who is this guy?"

 _What? Oh, right. Amnesia._ "That's right. I guess you wouldn't remember him, either. Your ex, Patch."

The shock on her face would have been funny if I weren't feeling dead ass serious.

"Back up. Patch was _my_ ex?" she asked.

"The two of you broke up. Something to do with Marcie, I think." I'd forgotten all about the rat until now. "That's all I know. I moved back to town in the middle of the drama."

"Are you sure he was my boyfriend?"

"Your words, not mine."

"What did he look like?"

I flashed back again to that night. I'd seen him one time before, but…that's not what left an impression on me. "Scary."

"Where is he now?"

How the hell would I know? "Like I said, finding him won't be easy."

"Do you know anything about a necklace he might have given me?"

 _Do you ever get sick of talking?_ "You ask a lot of questions."

She continued, ignoring me. "Marcie said that Patch was her boyfriend. She said he gave me necklace that belongs to her, and now she wants it back. She said he made me see the good in her and brought us together."

I thought about the time she'd got into a fight at the bar; took everything not to burst out laughing. "And you bought it?" I sobered up when I realized it was lightweight my fault for not being there.

"Anything else you can give me about Patch?"

 _He breaks peoples' knees when they cheat him at cards?_ "I hardly knew the guy, and what I knew scared the crap out of me." I never knew why she dated him. Nora, the gorgeous nerd. "I'll see if I can hunt him down, but I can't make any promises. In the meantime, let's focus on a sure thing. If we can get enough dirt on Hank, maybe we can figure out why he's taken an interest in you and your mom and what he's planning next, and come up with a way to bring him down. We've both got something to gain from this. You in, Grey?"

She scowled, determined. It was cute. "Oh, I'm in."

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	14. Chapter 12

**I'm still not getting my email notifications, guys! I never see when you guys post reviews except for when I look, and I never get anything else. But at least I'm seeing reviews on the site again. So that's good.**

Chapter Twelve

 **Scott's POV**

I scaled up the side of Nora's house. It was a little too easy for me as a Nephil; made me wonder just how safe she actually was in this house with just one other human. I quickly opened the window and jumped in. I thought I was quiet, but Nora shot up in her bed, looking goofy…maybe I surprised her?

"Shh…" I said. "Don't wake your mom." I didn't sense Hank Millar, but with his power who knew where he could be.

" _Wh-what are you doing here?"_ Nora hissed.

I closed the window, smirking. "I told you I'd pay a visit soon."

She flopped back onto her bed. "You failed to mention that it would involve breaking into my bedroom."

I was just happy she didn't scream. I kind of liked this new Nora; the one that was seemingly okay with me just being in her room late at night. It was funny. Still, I couldn't be distracted. If the Black Hand was here I'd need to be ready to Cowardly Lion out her closed window.

"Is Hank here?" I asked, still tense.

"No. He's out with my mom. I fell asleep, but I haven't heard them come in yet."

I relaxed momentarily. That was good, but that also meant he could be at the warehouse.

"Get dressed."

She looked at her clock, then back to me. "It's almost midnight, Scott."

 _No shit, Sherlock. Most kids do homework later than this hour anyway, loser._ "Very observant, Grey. As it turns out, we're going someplace that will be a lot easier to break into after hours."

She began tapping her fingers together, nervous. "Break into?" she squeaked. She was so cute looking nervous like that! I felt a little bad making her do this, but she did want to help.

"Not afraid of a little B and E, are you?" _It's not like you haven't done it before,_ I thought, remembering when she stole my ring.

She frowned, her red hair fuzzing up. "Not at all. What's one felony? It's not like I have high hopes of going to college or getting a job someday."

 _You'll be fine._ I wouldn't let anything happen. "I found one of the Black Hand's warehouses." I crossed the room, looking into the hall. She sure was taking her sweet time… "You're sure they're not back yet?"

"Hank probably has a lot of warehouses. He sells cars. He has to store them somewhere." Nora rolled over in bed. I was starting to get irritated.

"The warehouse is in the industrial district. If Hank is storing cars there, he's begging to get robbed. This is big time. I'm feeling it, Grey. He's keeping something a lot more valuable than cars there. We need to find out what. We need all the dirt on him we can get."

"Breaking and entering is illegal." She whined. "If we're going to nail Hank, we have to do it legitimately."

 _Yes, because "Nephil" is on a legal document! Come the hell on, Grey!_ I walked over to the bed and yanked the covers down below her face. "He doesn't play by the rules. The only way this is going to work is if we level the playing field." I tried playing into her nosy side. "Aren't you a little bit curious about what he's keeping in the warehouse?"

She seemed to think it over a little bit, but shook it off. "If it could get me arrested, no."

I was bemused. She was so…fiery earlier. What happened? Did she know something I didn't?

"What happened to helping me bury the Black Hand?"

She sighed. "I want to help, and I will, but we can't just jump into this. I'm too tired to think. Go back to the cave. Come back at a reasonable hour. Maybe I can talk my mom into visiting Hank at his warehouse and ask her what's inside."

 _That was the dumbest shit I've ever heard._ I was truly insulted, but I tried to calm myself for reason.

"If I bring down Hank, I get my life back. No more hiding. No more running. I'd get to see my mom again. Speaking of moms, yours would be safe. We both know you want this is much as I do," I begged. If someone had kept me trapped for weeks on end, I'd want to see them demolished. She just needed to get over her fear of getting into trouble. Then I felt bad- maybe if she thought it was him, that maybe she'd be forced back into confinement. That maybe she'd get stolen again. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, if that's what's got you worried."

"How do I know that?"

"You don't. This is your chance to put my intentions to the test. Find out what I'm really made of." Not every guy got a second chance to make a first impression. I at least wanted mine to be a good one.

She began biting her lip, literally chewing over what I said.

"Is this even safe? How do we know we won't get caught?"

"I've been canvassing the building for days. Nobody's there at night. We'll take a few pictures from the windows. Level of risk is low. You in or not?" _Come on….c'monc'monc'monc'mon…_

She sighed heavily. _Yes!_ "Fine! I'll throw on some clothes. Turn around. I'm in my pj's."

I grinned. "I'm a guy. That's like asking a kid not to glance at the candy counter." Sides, I'd seen her in skin clinging clothes before. It was quite nice.

She glowered at me, and I just grinned harder. When she didn't move, I rose my hands and turned around. At least she was moving. After like five minutes of picking clothes (I bet they matched!) she finally let me turn around.

"You know what I'm thinking right now?" she asked.

I was thinking that she really didn't need to look cute or match (like I thought!) to go do surveillance. Still… "That you look cute in that girl-next-door way?"

I knew she was blushing. "That I'd better not regret this." She huffed.

* * *

I tried opening the first bay door in the warehouse. "Locked," I commented. I looked at the keypad. "What do you think the code is? Hank's birthday?" I was only halfway joking, but Nora looked unamused. She'd looked on edge the entire time, from the car ride here to the door.

"Too obvious." She answered.

"His daughter's birthday?"

"Doubtful."

I couldn't think of any other important numbers, which sucked because it would have been nice to do things easily for once. I sighed. "Back to plan A, then."

I looked up to where the fire escape was and jumped. I caught the bottom rung, and shook a little. It made a little noise, but it came down with no issue. I turned to Nora. "Catch me if I fall."

I was surprised that she didn't make some type of quip; not that I'd have paid attention because I needed to focus on my balance. I made my way up for a bit, reaching the second level. Nothing yet. I pulled out the camera and made my way to the third level. It was so close…

 _Clang!_ I froze. I looked down at the small rock banging its way down the fire escape, and then to the sheepishly scared Nora covering her mouth. She began pointing quickly at the side of the building. Then she beat it for behind a dumpster. Soon after, a Nephil guard (which, I swear, I'd never seen _any_ before this night) came around the corner. Then he looked up at me. _Shit._ I began hustling up the fire escape, trying to get away from the Nephil hauling ass behind me. I dropped the camera in my rush. I looked at it for a moment, wondering how the hell this really could be happening. I finally made it to the top of the building and looked around.

 _Nowhere else…nowhere else…_

"Hey! Get back here!"

I ran to the edge of the building and jumped. This was bad. I needed to get back to Nora, and get back to the car. I just couldn't believe it- all this time I'd been fine by myself and the night I bring Nora all of a sudden shit happens. I heard Nora running underneath us, and I saw the Charger in the distance. She was trailing me!

I had an idea, and it was only going to work with luck. But I didn't have time to think of anything else. I darted to the edge of the building I'd jumped onto and chucked the keys out into the night. Then I kept running.

I got to the last building and realized that there were no more buildings to jump. I'd have to make it to the ground. With an inner groan, I made the jump. The only comfort I had falling was that at least I had a chance of survival; that I wouldn't technically die from hitting the ground. It didn't make my landing any more graceful. I hit the ground like a rock, and I rolled to the side. The Nephil behind me landed gracefully- the asshole. He pinned me to the ground, then lifted me, and punched me square in my face. It was a hell of a punch; I'd only been punched harder than this one time, and that guy was a fallen angel. So it was kind of fair.

As he lifted me off the ground, we both turned. The Charger's headlights were coming right for us. I panicked only for a moment.

"Oh...oh my god no I'm right here too!" I plead. The Nephil said something, but at the last second he threw me at the car and dodged. Luckily, once I'd recovered from falling over the hood, I landed on the right side of the car. I threw myself in.

" _Go!"_

Nora hit the gas, speeding out of sight. "What was that back there!? You were jumping buildings like they were hurdles!"

I'd calmed down a little bit, and could feel all of my injuries healing quickly. "I told you I'm stronger than your average guy."

"Yeah, well, you didn't mention flying! And you told me you didn't like using those strengths!"

"Maybe you changed my outlook." I grinned. "So you were impressed?"

"That Nephil back there nearly captured you and _that's_ all you care about?" she shouted.

Teehee. She thought I was impressive. "Thought so." I clenched my hand open and closed, feeling the power of the ring flow through me. I hadn't wanted to put it on. But I hadn't wanted to risk not being strong enough either. It was sickening at first, but now…it was great. Addicting, almost, like I'd said before. But I'd control it.

"Thought what?"

"You're blushing." I said, looking at her. She was so cute! And I was so proud of her for keeping up! Driving the getaway car her first time around!

"I'm _sweating!"_ she hissed. "I am _not_ impressed! What you did back there—what could have happened—"She pushed some of her frizzy hair off of her face. "I think you're reckless and careless, and you've got some nerve making this all sound like a big joke!"

So she wouldn't admit she was impressed, but she cared about me. I could tell she trusted me and my use of the powers. And she wasn't even intimidated while driving. _My little Grey is growing up._ "No further questions. I have my answer."

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	15. Chapter 13

**Finally what you all have been waiting for! You guys don't love me, you just love Patch :'( No but here you go!**

Chapter Thirteen

 **Patch's POV**

I hated entertaining Hank.

I hated his warehouses. I hated Nephilim. I hated it all. I wondered for a moment who signed me up for any of it, and then hatefully remembered that I did. I walked slowly, taking in the scene. It looked a little different…guards were stalking around, and the fire escapes had been removed from the middle building. I always noted that those were stupid anyway. So, he finally upgraded his game plan. Although it let people know which one of the two buildings held the important resources... clearly the one with no guards outside of it. An amateur move by somebody afraid of something.

I had no need to get up to the roof- I was too important to Hank for any men to try to chase me, and even if they did I'd rip their spines out their backs. I snickered evilly at the thought. A fight would be wonderful tonight. I was in the mood. I didn't know what they were afraid of, but I was willing to beat that thing out.

I always came from the back of the building, just to keep a low profile…and something was off. I sensed it. I walked closer, trying to see what it was, when I heard a noise. I made my way around to the side, wondering if somebody had attacked one of the guards in the alley between the buildings…but there was just an overturned trash can. Maybe a raccoon…except that it was completely turned over on its head. A guard with a flashlight came around the corner, and I faded into the darkness, hiding. He turned away, and I began looking around. Who was trying to get into Hank's warehouse? Was I being tailed? I looked around the grass for footprints, and noticed something reflect. It was a piece of lens glass, and on that piece of glass shined a bright long red hair. My stomach dropped.

I heard a small fearful gasp, and I looked up.

The inner scream that almost escaped my lips was so high pitched it could have broken glass.

She was scaling the side. And she was about to fall right into the warehouse where hundreds of Nephilim…and possibly Hank Millar…was sleeping.

I didn't have time to think; I flung myself up the fire escape stairs so quickly and silently it was like I still had wings. It was still too late. She was standing inside of the warehouse, with the storm lights directly on her. _Nope nope nope!_

I looped my arm around her waist without even looking into the light. " _Move!"_ I hissed, dragging back through the window. Once we were outside I made sure she wasn't hurt. Not hurt, just looking caught. I didn't have time for the deer in headlights routine. I began pushing her down the stairs, although I could hear the Nephilim above me. She heard them too, and began to freeze. I swooped her into my arms.

"Whatever you do, don't let go." I jumped over the railing before she could react, and as soon as we hit the ground I let her go. I grabbed her hand and began running. "I'm parked three blocks away."

The trick, I realized, was to keep her so busy she couldn't start asking questions. We hustled around the corner from the warehouse, hustled one street up. I saw a shortcut alley and hustled her through that. Soon we saw the Tahoe, and I unlocked the doors. As soon as she was in her seat I peeled out of the lot. I just kept driving. I didn't stop, I didn't know where I was going; I just kept driving until there were no more Nephilim behind me. Finally I saw a closed gas station somewhere up and I rolled into it.

Nora had notably been quiet this entire time. She had to have known she was in trouble. That was fine. I didn't mind talking first.

"What were you doing back there?" I hissed at her. Her frozen face changed, becoming indignant.

"Climbing the fire escape, what did it look like?" she snapped back.

 _Don't play this shit, Nora!_ "Well congratulations, you climbed it. And nearly got yourself killed. Don't tell me you were there by coincidence. Nobody hangs out in that neighborhood after dark. And that was a Nephilim safe house you barged into, so again, I'm not buying that it was by accident. Who told you to go there?" I demanded.

Her face, instead of getting angry, changed into shock. "A Nephilim safe house?"

"You're going to play dumb?" I couldn't believe it. _What happened to being afraid of heights? You could have killed yourself!_

"I thought the building was vacant. I thought the building next to it was the Nephilim warehouse."

So…so _she didn't even know what she was doing…_ If I didn't love her…

"Both are owned by a Nephil—a very powerful Nephil. One is a decoy, and the other sleeps about four hundred Nephilim on any given night. Guess which one you walked into?"

She had the grace to look sheepish, even smiling slightly at her deadly mistake. I wasn't smiling. _Does this look like a fucking joke, Nora?!_ I wasn't happy. I was pissed almost beyond reason at how stupid she could have been.

"I thought I told you to stop looking for trouble. I thought I told you to try normal for a while." I was practically pleading with her.

"Normal didn't last very long. Right after I last saw you, I bumped into an old friend. An old Nephil friend."

Was somebody using her? Who had lied about being in her life? Did my surveillance on her need to be tighter? "What Nephil friend?"

She blanched. "I don't have to answer that."

Nephil friend…who… _Scott Parnell. That bastard!_ I thought he'd been smart enough to hit the bricks. Clearly I gave him more credit than he was worth. "Forget it. I already know. The only Nephil you'd be gullible enough to call a friend is Scott Parnell."

Nora's face filled with surprise. "You know Scott?"

I knew he'd know my fist if I saw him again. _When_ I saw him again. His utmost balls to bring her back into this…I always knew he was stupid but I didn't think he'd be so selfish to draw her into his struggle like this. "Where's he staying?" I whispered.

"He—didn't tell me. I bumped into him when I was out running. It was a brief conversation. We didn't even have time to exchange phone numbers."

That was believable enough; he was clearly out to save his own ass. "Where were you running?"

"Downtown. He stepped out of a restaurant as I was passing and recognized me, and we talked for a minute."

I didn't need to see the jaw twitch to know she was lying. "You're lying. Scott wouldn't be out in the open like that, not when the Black Hand has a price on his head. I'm betting you saw him somewhere more remote. The woods by your house?"

"How do you know where I live?" she asked. I'd already admitted that I knew her beforehand, so that wasn't too much of a slip.

"You've got an untrustworthy Nephil shadowing you. If you're going to worry about something, worry about that."

"Untrustworthy? He filled me in on Nephilim and fallen angels, which is more than I can say about you!" She shouted, before trying to calm herself down. He'd clearly told her more than she'd ever be able to let go, and I didn't know if I felt jealous or angry.

"And what did he tell you? That he's the victim? That fallen angels are the bad guys?" If he'd put that in her head then she'd never want m- _stop it._ "He can blame fallen angels for the existence of his race, but he isn't a victim and he isn't harmless. If he's still hanging around, it's because he needs something from you. Everything else is a pretense."

"Funny you should say that, since he hasn't asked me for a single favor. So far, it's been all about me." _And I haven't been?!_ "He's trying to help me get my memory back. Don't look so surprised. Just because you're a closed off jerk doesn't mean the rest of the world is too. After shedding light on Nephilim and fallen angels, he told me Hank Millar is building an underground army." I could've killed that Nephil a million times over for how much he'd been running his pathetic little mouth! "Maybe that name means nothing to you, but it means a lot to me since Hank is dating my mom."

Any stewing I'd had over the pathetic Nephil brat stopped.

Any reservations I'd had over anything else up to that point stopped.

"What did you just say?" I asked, making sure I heard correctly.

She flinched, but gathered herself. "I called you a closed off jerk, and I meant every word."

I looked away. Her insult meant nothing. Hank Millar. Dating Blythe Grey. I could have cracked up with laughter. Not even sacred oaths meant anything to him. He looked me right in my eye, allowed me torture his man over and over in front of his face…and still turned around and broke his word. The man truly had no soul, and no qualms about pushing past his given boundaries. In a way, it must have been where Nora got her stubbornness from…Not that it mattered. He clearly didn't care about my threats. It incensed me, but not more than the fact that he had nerve to place himself in front of her, after doing all of the things he did to her…

First, I had to make sure he didn't know I was still around.

"How many people have you told about me?"

"What makes you think I've told anyone about you?"

So that answer was yes. I looked at her, making sure she wasn't lying. "Does your mom know?"

Nora looked at me, determining whether to trust me. Her shoulders dropped. "I might have mentioned your name, but she didn't recognize it. So we're back at square one. How _do_ I know you, Jev?"

 _About favors…_ "If I asked you to do something for me, I don't suppose you'd listen?" I paused. She was giving me an expectant look. "I'm going to take you home. Try to forget tonight happened. Try to act normal around Hank. Don't mention my name."

She glared at me, then got out of my car. It was kind of funny; for a second there I thought she was actually going to do what I said, and even walk herself home somehow. I remembered the struggle I had getting her to leave my car the first time. I found myself following her- _Wait! Please! I wasn't finished yet!_

"What kind of answer is that?" I was trying to be serious, but my amusement slipped through.

She kept walking and then stood ramrod straight as if it could stop me from putting her back into the car. "I'm not going home. Not yet. Ever since the night you saved me from Gabe, I've been thinking of all the ways I could run into you again."

My argument stopped before it came out, and my amusement faded.

"I've spent way too much time speculating how you knew me before, how you knew me at all." She continued passionately. "I might not remember you or anything else from the past five months, but I can still _feel,_ Jev. And when I first saw you the first night, I felt something that I've never felt before. I couldn't look at you and breathe at the same time."

 _I can still feel._

"What does that mean? Why don't you want me to remember you? Who _were_ you to me?"

 _I can still feel, too._

She looked me in my eyes. All she would see there was shame and torment. That's all I had.

"The other night, why did you call me Angel?"

 _Angel._ I hadn't been able to call her Angel, despite that slip. It hadn't occurred to me recently; that she'd never be my Angel again. It had just out of me so naturally.

 _I can still feel._

 _So do I, Angel._

I knew what it was like to miss a sense. To be able to feel despite missing the ability.

And I wanted to call her Angel again.

"If I were thinking straight, I'd take you home right now." I whispered.

"But?"

"But I'm tempted to do something I'll probably regret." Tempted? I was past tempted- I was convinced.

"Tell me the truth?" She asked, eyes kinder than they'd ever been towards me since…since she'd been taken. Since I'd let her go.

I sighed. I needed to get her somewhere safe before I could tell her anything, and there was only one place I could think of.

"First I need to get you off the streets. Hank's men can't be far behind."

 **Daawwwww the dream team is back and Nora finally said something effective! I actually love the book starting from this point, because this is when Nora goes from "I wanna know everything!" to "Now I know shit so bring it on!" and it's so much nicer for her character. I definitely prefer when Nora is in the know; she's not as insensitive. Read and review!**


	16. Chapter 14

**What you all have been waiting for!**

Chapter Fourteen

 **Patch's POV**

My timing was impeccable; Hank's men were dragging down the road behind us. I grabbed Nora and pulled her behind a wall.

"We can't outrun them to the Tahoe, and even if we could, I'm not dragging you into a car chase with Nephilim." I was talking both to her and myself. "They'll walk away from a rolled or totaled car, but you might not. Better to take our chances on foot and circle back to the car after they've given up."

I thought about our options. "There's a nightclub a block up from here. Not the cleanest place, but we can hide there." I grabbed her elbow and started towards the club.

"If Hank's men check the club, and they'd be stupid not to since they'll see the Tahoe and know we're on foot, they'll recognize me." Nora said. "The lights in the warehouse were on for a full five seconds before you dragged me out. Someone in that room had to have gotten a good look at me. I can try to hide in the bathroom, but if they start asking around, I won't stay hidden long."

Good point. "The warehouse you broke into is for new recruits. Sixteen or seventeen in human years and newly sworn, making them less than one in Nephilim years. I'm stronger than they are, and I've had a lot more practice when it comes to toying with minds. I'm going to put a trance on you. If they look at us, they're going to see a guy in black leather chaps with a spiked choker, and a platinum blond girl in a corset and combat boots."

I couldn't help but mildly wonder why I didn't just put a trance on myself earlier; it would have made it easier to follow Nora and she would have never thought to remember me because she wouldn't recognize me… It was too late, and part of me knew that was exactly why I didn't do it. I turned to Nora and focused on her, trying to morph her features. I didn't like a blond Nora…the red was gorgeous. I'd have to tell her to never dye her hair. _Assuming that she decided to stay._

I tipped her chin up, knowing I was going to ask a loaded question. "Do you trust me?"

She had every reason in the world to say no, but she still nodded. I held back a smile. "Good. Keep walking."

After paying, I walked her into Bloody Mary's; it was looking just as grungy and full of middle aged adults. I never particularly liked the place, the aesthetic was awful. I preferred the Devil's Handbag (younger, more risk-taking, more Nephil clientele). _Focus._

I walked her to the middle of the dance floor, making sure I could see all the exits around us.

"Plan A is to stay here and wait them out. Eventually they'll have to give up and go back to the warehouse." I spoke loudly.

"And Plan B?"

"If they follow us in here, we'll leave through the back exit."

"How do you know there's a back exit?"

It was a silly question because every club should have an exit…but then again, before me, Nora wasn't the adventurous type.

"I've been here before. Not my top choice, but it's a favorite when it comes to my kind." It was also another reason why I didn't think the Nephilim would follow us. I couldn't sense any other Fallen around, but still they had to know the reputation of this place.

I patiently waited as Nora looked around the room, worried. "I thought you said you could mind-trick everyone. So why do I get the feeling people are staring?"

I smiled. "We're the only two people in the room not dancing."

Nora looked around the room again, her eyes widening in horror at the thought of head-banging and crowd-jumping. I felt sympathetic; this had to have been the most uncomfortable she'd been since…

I shook it off. "May I have this dance?"

She grit her teeth. "Shouldn't we be finding a way out of here? Devising a couple more backup plans?"

I grabbed her hand and drew her forward. "They'll stop staring soon. They're too busy competing for most extreme dance move of the night. Try to relax. Sometimes the best offense is a good defense."

I began slow dancing with her, a dance from before her time and certainly not like the crap happening around us. Nora blushed, and then looked up at me. Slowly, she began to relax and move with me.

"Better," I whispered. Just to tease, I spun her out. I didn't know how she felt, but I knew that I couldn't hear any of the actual music playing around us.

"Do you think they're going to buy that a guy in tacky leather chaps dances like this?" she asked as I brought her back in. I wanted to smirk. She liked my dancing, no matter what she said. I'd learned from some of the best, and had centuries of practice.

"Keep it up, and I'll put _you_ in the chaps."

"How do the trances work? Like a glamour?"

"It's more complicated than that, but same end result."

"Could you teach me?"

 _No, but-_ "If I taught you everything I know, we'd need a considerable amount of alone time together."

Nora paused for a moment, letting my words sink in. "I'm sure we could keep it…professional."

"Speak for yourself," I said, half to her and half to me. I was still holding her close, and to be honest if we'd truly been by ourselves and in no danger it might have led to some…other things.

Then she put her head on my chest. I knew she was finally getting comfortable. Her eyes relaxed as I led her through the dance. It was so peaceful- I hadn't seen that expression on her face since- since the beginning of summer, at the beach, before all of that nonsense had begun. It was another time. I realized I hadn't seen her face without pain, suffering, or exhaustion on it since then. It brought me warmth, at least on the inside.

"What are you thinking?"

Her eyes closed and she squeezed to me a little tighter, smiling slightly. I smiled, knowing they must have been good thoughts. "Hmm."

Her eyes flew open and she blushed, looking away. "Hmm? What does 'hmm' have to do with anything? Could you ever use more than five words? All this grunting and minced words make you come across-primal."

 _Oh, I can give you grunting and minced words if that's what you need, Angel._ "Primal." I repeated.

"You're impossible."

"Me Jev, you Nora."

" _Stop it."_ She gasped, trying not to smile. She failed, I could see it.

"Since we're keeping it primal, you smell good." I told her, moving even closer.

She rolled her eyes. "It's called a shower…" Then she paused, her eyes crinkling, the peace gone. "Soap, shampoo, hot water," she whispered. She was remembering.

"Naked. I know the drill." I finished. We'd been playing this game then as well, trying not to admit feelings, trying to dance around the real issues. I didn't think I'd be back at this point, or that I'd be getting a second chance.

Nora shook it off and laughed. "Are you flirting with me, Jev?"

"Does it feel that way to you?" What I felt I wanted to say went much deeper than flirting.

"I don't know you well enough to say either way."

"Then we'll have to change that."

She cleared her throat, looking determined. "Running from bad guys together is your idea of playing getting-to-know-you?" _Aww, she's trying._

"No. This is."

I dipped her backward, and she looked frightened for only a moment as I lifted her back up slowly. She submitted without a word, allowing me to continue to lead us. She looked exhilarated as I led her, and it was a bit erotic how she actually allowed herself to feel every emotion that I could see running across her face. The way she moved with me was sensual. We'd connect eyes occasionally, and she'd blush every single time before going back into her relaxed daze. Finally, she giggled and jumped away.

"I don't have the body for this." She said, pointing her chin at what I assumed was another woman. "No curves."

"Are you asking my opinion?"

She blushed. "I asked for that."

I didn't know what _that_ was and I didn't care. I had Nora all to myself and we were both enjoying it. She didn't need to worry about whatever any type of _that_ was, because I wasn't going to let it hurt or upset her. I let my mouth brush her forehead, but then I felt nervous. I didn't know how she was going to respond, and I didn't want to push her. However, her head began to lift, and I found myself lowering. There was only the tiniest space between our lips when I felt an energy surge in the room. I tightened, and pulled back.

 _Nephilim._ "We've got company."

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	17. Chapter 15

**Hey guys, sorry I haven't truly been in the mood to write lately. There was a loss in my family last week, and with that combined with school and extra-curriculars, I haven't exactly been...inspired. But, this one's a long one! Oh, and I'm finally getting my review emails again after two months- so now I can see when you guys tell me to update!**

Chapter Fifteen

 **Patch's POV**

Nora tried to pull away, but I kept her dancing. The moment was over, and so her movements were awkward, but there was nothing to be done about that.

"Stay calm. Remember, if they look at you, they're going to see blond hair and combat boots. They're not going to see the real you."

"Won't they expect you to tamper with their minds?" she asked, trying to look around me.

"They didn't get a good look at me, but they saw me jump from the third floor of the warehouse, which will let them know I'm not human. They'll be looking for a guy and a girl together, but that could be any number of couples in here."

I was actually becoming a bit nervous; these Nephilim were too astute for my liking. They were becoming smarter- I could kick myself, because part of the reason they were becoming so smart was because of my espionage, and because of my own history with their leader. They were learning, too quickly. I watched them spread around the room, not bothering to be subtle with their searching.

"What are they doing now?"

"Having a look around. Dance with me and keep your eyes off the doors. There are four of them. They're spreading out." I cursed, seeing them look directly at me. _Rookie mistake, Patch._ "Two are heading this way. I think we've been made. The Black Hand trained them well." The bastard. "I've never met a Nephil who could see through a trance within the first year of swearing fealty, but they just might pull it off."

It might have also been my energy; after dancing with Nora I wasn't being as subtle at hiding who and what I was as I should have been. _No time to be sentimental._

"Walk toward the bathrooms and take the exit at the end of the hall. Don't walk too fast, and don't look back. If anyone tries to stop you, ignore them and keep walking. I'm going to head them off to buy us time. I'll meet you in the alley in five."

I was trusting her heavily with her own life, and I didn't want to overthink my choice. I began to walk the opposite direction of Nora, towards the front door. The two Nephilim that I saw began to charge after me, and I ran out of the door. I quickly curved around the side of the building, waiting in the shadows. As they barreled out, I realized that just because they were better trained to see didn't mean they weren't still rookies. I was now in my element, and I sneered.

"Hey!" I whistled, making them turn towards me. "Looking for me?"

They sneered, looking like regular meatheads. One was blond, the other a shaggy brunette.

"Well, look at that. We caught him!" blondie said.

"So much for your mind-tricks, fallen angel." The brunette said.

I pouted. "Aw, me? I've always known I was a catch, but this is just too much."

They knew I was mocking them, and it pissed them off. They both charged at me, and I swept blondie off of his feet and uppercut the other. When blondie tried to attack me again I dodged his punch and quickly grabbed the lid off of a fallen metal trash can in the back and slammed it right into his face.

"What the fuck is this? A shield? Fight like a man, you sissy!" the brunette cried. I mused, realizing that I was old enough to know how to use a shield.

"In my day, fighting like a man involved much more than fists." I joked, warbling like an old man. The brunette came for me and used the lid to block down on his kick, and side-kicked him into the bricks. I'd hit him hard enough to knock the air out of him, and he crumpled to the ground. Blondie was a little harder; he'd recovered from my earlier hit and began to swing furiously. I blocked every hit, and swung at his stomach. As he keeled over, I kneed him in the chin and punched him square in the nose. They were both out for the count.

I quickly ran to the back, noting that a Nephilim was standing at the end of the alley where Nora was supposed to be. I stealthily ran behind the Nephil, and cracked his neck. Easy. I began to sense for Nora, knowing I'd disembowel the Nephil if he were hurting her in any way.

" _Get off me!"_

I was immediately behind the dumpster as soon as I heard her scream. The Nephil had her pinned, and he was lucky that's all he'd done because my switchblade was in my hand, resting in my pocket.

"Get—off—me— _now."_ Nora demanded.

"You heard her." I spoke up.

The Nephil turned to face me, having the utmost gall to look bothered. " _What now?"_

"It was an easy enough request." I said, smiling. It was all I could do not to stab him in the eyes, right in front of Nora. I didn't want her to see me like that, at least not now.

"I'm a little busy at the moment, mate. If you don't _mind."_ The Nephil whined.

"Turns out I do." I moved forward quickly, grabbing him by the shoulders and flinging him against the wall. I used one hand to hold him against the wall, and the other to pin his neck down.

"Apologize." I commanded, nodding towards Nora. The Nephil instead tried to remove my hands. I was already strong, but combined with the situation I was angry enough to hold him there no problem. My eyes thinned with malice. "Tell her how deeply sorry you are, or I'll make sure you have nothing to say for a good while." I pulled out the blade I had in my hand, waving it in front of him. "What's it going to be?"

 _Sorry,_ I heard him spit to Nora.

"It won't win an Oscar, but it'll do. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

I let him go, and he began gasping for air. I moved in front of Nora, blocking off his access.

"Do I know you? I know you're a fallen angel- I can feel your power rolling off of you like a stench, which makes me think you must have been pretty high up before you fell, maybe even an archangel—but I want to know is if we've crossed paths before."

 _Aww, he's trying to trick me._ He'd done his research, paid attention in his classes, and I'm sure he did very well, I thought maliciously.

"Not yet. I'll keep the introduction short." I socked him straight in his gut, and he went unconscious immediately. He was definitely much weaker than his cohorts- that, or I'd gotten too excited with the first three. _Won't feel bad now._

I turned to Nora, who looked sheepish and kind of upset. Her eyes widened as I moved towards her, as if she expected me to be angry. I wasn't. I wiped some of the dirt off of her face, and I buttoned up her top buttons on her torn open blouse. No, I wasn't angry. I was relieved that it wasn't worse.

"You okay?" I asked.

She nodded, but her eyes filled with tears.

 _Angel, don't cry…_ "Let's get out of here."

After I realized she was in shock, I carried her to the Tahoe, running at full speed. As I drove toward Delphic, I could tell she was a little shaken by the incident- she hadn't said a word the entire drive. I was a little proud of her- she'd done well to keep herself alive, although I wouldn't want her in that situation ever again. When I pulled into Delphic's lot, she sat up straight.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

I turned the car off. "You said you wanted to talk."

Nora looked bemused. "Yeah, but this place is…"

I smiled, knowing the history behind her being here. It would make sense if she felt off about it. It was also ironic because she'd spent so much time before trying to get inside my home. "Still don't know if you trust me? As for why Delphic, call me sentimental."

We got out of the car and walked to the gates. I vaulted over, pushing the gate open enough for her to walk in.

"Could we go to jail for this?" she asked. I didn't answer; I didn't need to. We walked past all of the dark roller coasters, and I was on edge. Any fallen angel at any time could appear from the dark, although around this time they were normally at the bars. I noted the space where I got the snow globe, and I almost sighed at the thought of old Walter and older times.

As we walked under the Archangel, Nora looked up. She gasped, and grabbed at her arm. I could tell that she was reliving a memory…a memory from when I'd almost pushed her off of the roller coaster. I shuddered as well.

Finally, we made it to the shed.

"What's in the shed?"

"Home."

"Glamorous," Nora noted sarcastically.

I smiled, knowing what she thought. "I sacrificed style for safety."

Nora smirked. "Safe? I could probably kick down the door."

 _It wouldn't be the first time someone did…_

"Safe from the archangels."

"When do I get to find out about the archangels?" she asked me.

"All you need to know is that right now, they're not on our side."

"But they might be later?"

 _Ehh…ehhh…_ "I'm an optimist."

We stepped into the shed, and I moved towards the metal door within the floorboards.

"You live here?" Nora asked me again.

"This is more like the antechamber." I opened the door and jumped down. "Give me your hand."

She slowly moved towards my voice, and I saw her hand enough to grab her and pull her down. I knew it had to be rough for her to see; I remembered when…when Rixon and I had to learn to sense through the catacombs because without the ability to feel, or see, it was completely sensory deprivation, and it was incredibly hard to work with. As we walked, I talked to her about the history of the catacombs, and of the fallen angels that lived in them. Finally, once she began talking about Hank Millar, I sighed.

"We need to talk."

I reached my door, opened it, and reached down for the matches and candle. I lit the candle, and began walking towards the rest of them. "Welcome to my place." I continued lighting the candles, allowing her to take in the place. It was kind of my pride; all my pieces and all my style reflected my history and collections over the past hundreds of years.

"Wow," Nora gasped.

"I don't bring many people down here. It's not something I want to share with everyone. I like the privacy and seclusion."

Nora didn't respond, instead still looking around.

"Kitchen to the left, bedroom in the back."

Finally she turned, throwing a pouty glance at me. "Why, Jev, are you flirting with me?"

She was making that face…in a place with my bedroom…in a place where we were alone…and between the candlelight and her own shadows… She was gorgeous, she was erotic, she was perfection, her beauty was… _primal._ I hadn't felt that sensation, or that kind of lust sense before I'd fallen. I'd felt it for—

 _Keep lighting candles._

"I'm starting to wonder if you're trying to distract me from our previous conversation." She murmured, running her hands over the old French full length mirror.

I gave up on the candles and sat on the couch. I didn't want to think about anything else. I wanted to watch her. "I'm not the distraction in the room."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

I watched her as she moved across the room. I knew my heart was pounding, and I had to contain myself. I wanted her- heart, body and soul. But that's not where we were- that's not where she was, and I couldn't force that.

 _None of this environment is helping, though._

She stopped in front of the painting. " _The Fall of Phaeton,"_ I told her. "The Greek sun god Helios had a son, Phaeton, by a mortal woman. Each day Helios drove a chariot across the sky. Phaeton tricked his father into letting him drive the chariot, even though Phaeton wasn't strong enough or skilled enough to handle the horses. As expected, the horses ran wild and fell to Earth, burning everything in their path."

I'd stolen the painting early after falling. It represented everything to me. I shook it off, not wanting to go back. Nora directed her eyes back at me. "Surely you're aware of the effect you have on me."

"Now you're teasing me." She commented.

"I enjoy teasing you, true. But there are some things I never joke about."

She turned her whole body to face me, finally analyzing me from head to toe. Finally she spoke.

"I know you're a fallen angel. I know you force Nephilim to swear an oath of fealty. You possess their bodies. In this war that's going on, you're on the opposite side from Scott. No wonder you don't like him."

"You're remembering."

"Not nearly enough. If you're a fallen angel, why do you have a deal with Hank, a Nephil? Aren't you supposed to be mortal enemies?" Her voice was demanding, and although it didn't seem like she was trying to blame me, I heard it in her voice anyway.

I ran my hands down my face. My mood became somber. "About Hank."

"What about him?"

The look on her face was so steeled, and her body was so stiff- she was expecting the worst, and I hated that I had to give it to her. I stood up and walked over to her, leaning on the wall next to her. She looked at me, fire in her eyes.

"I want to know everything. Starting with you. I want to remember us. How did we meet? What did we mean to each other? After that, I want you to tell me everything about Hank. Even if you're worried I won't like what you have to say. Help me remember. I can't go on like this. I can't move forward until I know what I left behind. I'm not afraid of Hank."

"I'm afraid of what he's capable of. He doesn't draw the line. He pushes as far as he can. Worst of all, he can't be trusted. With anything," I commented. I paused. I knew that once I began, I couldn't go back. I knew I could erase her memory, but I didn't want to. Not again. "I'll come clean. I'll tell you everything, but only because Hank double-crossed me. You're not supposed to be in this anymore. I did everything I could to leave you out of it. Hank gave me his word he'd stay away from you. Imagine my surprise, then, when you told me he's putting the moves on your mom. If he's back in your life, it's because he's up to something. Which means you're not safe, we're back to square one, and coming clean doesn't put you in any more danger."

I was so frustrated by the end of my statement. Hank Millar had become more of a thorn in my side than Chauncey had ever been- I hadn't thought it was possible. Sometimes I would regret that Rixon was gone- he was the only person that ever put Hank in his place.

She didn't waver. "Help me remember, Jev."

"Is that what you want?" I asked her, looking into her face. I didn't want to put that pain on her. I remembered her face from the few times I'd been able to see her during her imprisonment, and her face was worn, scarred even, with the pain. I didn't want to see that on her- but I understood now that I couldn't make that choice for her.

"Yes," she said, nervous but certain.

I lowered onto the sofa, and removed my shirt. I placed my elbows on my knees, head down in humility. She gasped, and it took everything in me not to flinch. I knew she saw my scars. I knew that they were hideous, a sign of my recent failures.

"Touch them. Concentrate on what you want to know."

"I—don't understand."

"The night I drove you away from the 7-Eleven, you ripped my shirt and touched my wing scars. You saw one of my memories."

Nora blinked, shocked.

"I should warn you that if you go inside a memory that includes you, things will get complicated. You might see a double of yourself. You and my memory of you could be there at the same time, and you'd be forced to watch the events as an invisible bystander. The other scenario is that you'll transfer into your own version of the memory. Meaning you might experience my memory from your own point of view. You won't see a double if that happens. You'll be the only version of yourself in the memory. I've heard of both happening, but the first is more common."

Nora paled, and she grabbed her hands. "I'm scared" she admitted.

I didn't want to allow either of our fears to stop her from moving forward. "I'll give you five minutes. If you haven't come back, I'll pull your hand off my scars. That will break the connection."

She bit down on her lip, steeling herself.

"Give me half an hour." She commanded. Then she sighed, moved forward, holding her hand out. Her eyes squeezed shut, and I grabbed her hand and helped her find her way.

 **I've been trying to give Patch's love a little more...mature spice, but because I'm not that romantic it might not be as heart-pounding as I think it is. Let me know! Read and review!**


	18. Chapter 16

**I realized why I hated Hank again, once I wrote this chapter. What a pompous asshole. I'm still shipping him and Harrison. It's going to be a thing, trust me. Anyway, typing this out got me to 7 pages, 3000+ words so...I should sure hope it's long enough!**

Chapter Sixteen

 **Patch's POV**

No more than a few moments in, Nora's body began twitching and jerking. Horrified, I yanked her hand away from my wings. For a moment, I was terrified that she'd seen something other than the truth she was looking for; I worried that I'd have to desperately find a way to explain away some of the things I'd done.

"What is it?" I asked, grasping her as she leaned against me. _Not something too horrible of me, then, if she's still sitting here._

"Your memory was of me," she gasped, flushing. "But there wasn't a double. I was trapped inside my body, but I couldn't control it. I couldn't move it. It was—terrifying."

I flashed back to any recent memories of her. I prayed that it wasn't the memory of her in the warehouse- when I had to leave her.

* * *

 _"I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" I whispered intensely. I didn't know how full that promise could be. The Nephil had approached me, and I turned to fight him when he collapsed. Dabria stood behind him, bar in hand._

 _"I thought you were disposed of!" Nora shouted._

 _"I thought I told you to wait in the car," I said, pissed off. Nora looked at me with a disgusted look._

 _"It's business only." I sighed; Nora's jealousy came rushing back, and for a second, she looked like her old self._

 _"You've been with her this whole time?" she hissed._

 _"There are people coming; come on, now Jev…" Dabria whispered, slinking back into the shadows._

 _Nora watched her go, and turned towards me. I saw her eyes dim._

 _"You haven't been looking for me at all, have you." It was a statement. An untrue statement._

 _"Nora," I began. She shook me off._

 _"No, I get it. Business. Okay." Nephilim began to swarm the building. "Make sure everyone is safe." She whispered quickly. Some came over and held me down. I wasn't paying attention to them; I was looking at Nora. Her face filled with fear, which was replaced by a downtrodden look. When she looked me in my face, suddenly it twisted. Her eyes widened with a wild look, tears began falling, and she began screaming._

 _"If you don't find me, Patch Cipriano, it's because you weren't looking! You lied! You said you'd find me!"_

 _I didn't know how to respond; she was right. I'd failed her, miserably. Men began lifting her up, but she fought back against them._

 _"Don't let them take me again! Patch!" She knew she couldn't leave with me; she was panicking out of her fear. I knew that there were tears running my face. I knew that I couldn't get her back, due to my oath, and because Hank had my feather. I was caught, and I hated the cowardice that I was facing it with. Eventually, I was alone with in the warehouse._

* * *

It had to have been one of my most shameful moments with her up to date. Part of me was glad she couldn't remember my cowardice- _how cowardly._

"What did you see?" I asked, tensing for impact.

"We were about here. In the shed. When I said your name, I didn't say Jev. I called you Patch. And you were- kissing me." She sounded incredibly shocked, while I relaxed just a little. She was just confused, that was all.

"Nothing is wrong," I clarified, caressing her cheek. "Back then you knew me as Patch. That was the name I was going under when we met. I dropped the name when I lost you. I've been going by Jev ever since." The name was given to me by Rixon, but…it gained more meaning when she began to use it. I'd changed it to keep my identity safe, but I also knew that if she wasn't going to call me Patch, I didn't want the name anymore. She was the only true emotional connection left to it.

Nora began crying, but it seemed more out of shock than of upset.

"I kissed you back. In the memory."

I chuckled. "That bad?"

Nora's cheeks went pink, then she shook it off. "You told me once earlier that you tried to bring me here to your home once before, but Hank stopped us. I think that was the memory I saw." My eyes turned to the floor. "But I didn't see Hank. I didn't make it that far. I broke the connection. I couldn't handle being inside my body but not being able to control it. I wasn't prepared for just how real it would feel."

"The girl in control of your body was you," I reminded her. "You in the past. Before you lost your memory." _Before they…before we took it from you._

She broke from my arms, and I was alarmed for a moment as though she'd heard what I thought. She began to pace frantically.

"I have to go back."

I wasn't sure she was ready for this, if a memory of kissing was too overwhelming. "Nora—"

"I have to face Hank. And I can't face him here until I've faced him in there," she said, pointing at my scars. She had a good point, although I would have preferred her never facing him again.

I stared at her for a moment, taking in her determination. "Do you want me to pull you out?"

"No. This time I'm going all the way."

She came to sit down on my lap, and quickly thrust her hand into my scars. I was sick for a moment from the impact, but soon came to my senses. I tried my best to remember the scene as well.

* * *

" _I'll make a deal. Something you want, in exchange for Nora's life."_

 _Hank's curled lips somehow twitched. "What could you possibly have that I want?"_

 _Arrogant asshole. "You're building a Nephilim army with the hope of overthrowing fallen angels as early as this Cheshvan." He had the balls to look surprised. "Don't look surprised. I'm not the only angel who knows what you're up to. Bands of fallen angels are forming alliances, and they're going to make their Nephilim vassals regret thinking they could ever break free."_

 _I noted the soldiers in the room fidget uncomfortably. Hank noted it as well, seeing their resolve shake._

" _It's not going to be a pretty Cheshvan for any Nephil who bears the Black Hand's mark of allegiance. And that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what they have in store. You're never going to pull this off without a man on the inside."_

 _Hank frowned more deeply as my words sunk in. He waved at his men. "Leave me alone with the angel. Take the girl outside."_

" _You're kidding if you think I'm letting her out of my sight." I retorted, holding Nora closer._

 _He sneered. "Very well. Keep her while you can." The soldiers left the room. "Keep talking."_

" _Let Nora live, and I'll spy for you."_

 _His eyebrows rose. "My, my. Your feelings for her run deeper than I thought." They were much deeper than the superficial 'Chauncey' shit he was spouting earlier, but now was not the time to mention that. "I daresay she's not worth it. Sadly, I don't care what you and your guardian angel friends think of my plans. I'm far more interested in fallen angels, what they're thinking, any countermeasures they might attempt. You're not one of them anymore. So how do you plan to be privy to their dealings?"_

" _Let me worry about that."_

 _He stared at me; he received nothing but a blank stare in return._

" _All right. I'm intrigued. I'm not the one who stands to lose." When he shrugged that way, he looked like Marcie- it was enraging. "I take it you'd have me swear an oath?"_

" _Wouldn't have it any other way."_

 _He pulled a dagger out of his pant waist and slit his left hand._

 _"I swear my vow to let the girl live. If I break my vow, I plead that I may die and return to the dust from which I was created." Hank said. I cut my hand and swore my vow in return. I didn't trust the bastard; that was for sure, so I'm not quite sure why it shocked me when he got and his phone and ordered Nora to be taken away._

 _"I swore an oath to let her live. When I release her is up to me- and you. She's yours after you've given me enough information to guarantee I can overthrow fallen angels by Cheshvan. Consider Nora insurance."_

 _I was ready to make a break for the door; there was no way in hell I was going to just let them take Nora from me._

 _"Don't go down that road. You're outnumbered twenty to one. We'd both hate to see Nora needlessly injured in a scuffle. Play this smart. Hand her over." Hank said, unable to control the sneer on his face. The son of a bitch; he really thought that this was going to go his way._

 _"If you take her away, I will see to it that your corpse fertilizes the ground we're standing on." I threatened. The asshole had the balls to look me in my face smugly, as if he wasn't standing less than a foot away from the person who could (and would) personally tear him limb from limb._

 _"Is that my cue to laugh?" Hank said, opening the door._

 _Nephilim came charging in from the door. I backed up, Nora in my arms. I sat her down in the corner, where I could defend her from every man coming for her. She was still unconscious. One jumped, I grabbed him and broke his arm, kicking him to the floor. Another charged, this time with a weapon in his hand. I laughed, twisting it away from him and stabbing it through his stomach. Using the weapon (a crowbar it seemed), I swung at the nearest head, knocking teeth and blood out of the next man's mouth. Three more approached me. I began tearing skin off of limbs with my bare hands. I can't lie; these men were impressive when it came to determination._

 _Suddenly, while I punched one to the floor, another Nephil came up behind me and tackled me to the ground. Three of them began holding me down. I was going to easily throw them off when I heard a small scream that made me freeze. One held my face up; a Nephil was holding a knife to Nora's neck and had pressed down enough to cut skin. She looked at me with horror on her face._

 _"Now," the nephil said, breathing heavily from the fight I'd put up, "I don't want to have to hurt your lady here because you won't cooperate. You move anymore, I start cutting skin." He moved the knife to Nora's arm and began pressing. Her eyes grew huge as he began pressing down and she began to whimper. I couldn't take it._

 _"Okay! Stop it…I'll stop fighting…" I said._

 _"Patch…Patch no…" Nora began. I turned towards her, ignoring every other person in the room._

 _"I'm sorry Nora…you have to go with them for right now." I said, trying to hide my fear and anger under a calm voice. The Nephil tied a blindfold over her face, and threw her over his shoulder. She began to scream in a panic._

 _"Don't let them take me! Patch NO!" she screamed, squirming in the Nephil's arms._

 _"It's okay! I'll find you, I swear I will! I won't let them have you!" I shouted out the door, trying to remove myself from the arms of the three Nephil holding me down. I heard her screams all the way until I heard a door close, and a car drive off._

* * *

Nora's hand removed itself from my scars, and I found my own eyes blurry after squeezing them so tightly from the memory. _If I could do it again…_

I shook off my own doubts. There were never second chances, at least not when it came to the past. I looked at Nora, who was taking a little longer to come back to reality.

"Okay," she whispered. "Okay…then."

I smiled; not the reaction I expected. "That's it?"

She turned to look at me, and she began crying again. My heart dropped.

"You made a deal with Hank. You saved my life. Why would you do that for me?"

I was thrown; I expected her to be angry, indignant, or proud, the way she had been every other time I saved her. Not…surprised. "Angel," I whispered, holding her face. "I don't think you understand the lengths I would go to if it meant keeping you here with me." She was the only person, the only important thing that I had left. Friends had come and gone, and so had many more enemies. She was all I had left that actually meant something to me.

Her eyes turned away, calculating. She was unconsciously making a gurgling sound- a helpless, overwhelmed noise that a lost child might make.

"He kidnapped me. He swore the oath not to kill me, but he held me hostage to make sure you were motivated to spy for him. Three whole months. He strung everyone along for _three whole months._ All to get his hands on information about fallen angels. He let my mom believe I was as good as dead."

She'd put it all together on her own. I couldn't even imagine the hardship she had to have faced as a human in solitary confinement, facing the elements, nothing but an unwilling pawn. She didn't remember that though, fortunately.

"I hate him." She hissed. "Words can't express how angry I am. I want him to pay. I want him dead."

"The mark on your wrist." I murmured, darting my eyes toward her wrist. "It's not a birthmark. I've seen it twice before. On my old Nephil, a man named Chauncey Langeais. Hank Millar also has the mark, Nora. The mark links you to their bloodline, like an outward expression of a genetic marker or DNA sequence. Hank is your biological father."

"I know." She said, shaking her head.

I laced my hand with hers, noting the _other_ scar on her wrist from where she…from when she desperately tried to escape…I flipped her wrist and hand over, and kissed her knuckles. "You remember?"

"I heard myself say it in the memory, but I must have already known. I wasn't surprised; I was _angry._ I don't remember when I first knew it." She pushed her thumb into her "birthmark". "But I feel it. There's a disconnect between my mind and my heart, but I feel the truth. They say when people lose their vision, their hearing becomes sharper. I've lost part of my memory, but maybe my intuition is stronger."

It was a very intuitive statement, indeed. I liked this new part of Nora. It was stronger, more self-assured. I just felt terrible that she had to go through what she did to gain it. I could still see the bruising and welts from when Hank…and then she'd been cut off from dreams completely so there was no way to find her. I still wanted to grate every inch of his skin off with a cheese grater.

I was becoming darker and angrier by the moment when Nora changed positions.

"I don't want to talk about Hank. Not right now. I want to talk about something else I saw. Or rather, I should say something else I discovered."

 _What else could there be to talk about?_ I looked at her, confused and wary.

Nora sighed deeply. "I learned that I was either crazy in love with you, or putting on the best performance of my life."

 _A…a performance? Me?_ I'd never felt so self-conscious. I kept my emotions intact however. "Which one are you leaning toward?" I could still hear the nerves in my voice; it sounded so weak.

"First, I need to know what happened between you and Marcie. This is one of those times when giving me full disclosure is in your best interest." I didn't think giving her full disclosure was in my best interest. "Marcie said you were her summer fling. Scott told me she played a role in our breakup. All that's missing is your version."

I stroked my chin to stop from cracking a smile. "Do I look like a summer fling?" _Think about everything you've seen tonight, and attach 'fling' to it, Angel._

I watched her think about it and smirk. _Exactly._ "Point taken. So spill."

"Marcie was an assignment. I hadn't gone rogue yet; I still had my wings, which made me a guardian angel, taking orders from the archangels, and they wanted me to keep an eye on her. She's Hank's daughter, which equates to danger by association. I kept her safe, but it wasn't a pleasant experience. I've done my best to put the memory behind me." That was all that needed to be said about that.

"So nothing happened."

I couldn't hold back the smile. _Ummmm…ehhmm…..ehhhhhhhh….. "_ I almost shot her once or twice, but the excitement ends there." No need to bring up old demons, right?

"Missed opportunity."

I shrugged. "There's always next time. Still want to talk about Marcie?" I sure didn't.

She shook her head no. "I don't feel like talking." She stood up, pulling me with her.

 _Oh?_ Her eyes were huge, pupils dilated. I knew that look… Desire lit inside me like a fire.

"Angel," I whispered, stroking her cheek with my thumb. She pulled back.

"Don't rush this. If there's any memory of being with you left inside me, I can't force it."

I was shocked. I'd taken for granted that we'd just go back to normal. I hadn't even considered she might no longer be interested in me after everything she'd learned. _I can make her interested in me again._ I was actually terrified. She slid her hands around my torso, around my arms, neck and face. She did it slowly too, and in the flickering of the candlelight and shadows it was…erotic. I would have done anything to be able to feel her touch at the moment. I closed my eyes, trying to take it all in. The smoke from the candles, the smell of her hair, her skin, her perfume… I wouldn't be able to bear if she'd decided, after all of this, she didn't want to be with me.

"Angel," I plead.

"Not yet."

She ran her fingers through my hair, and it took everything for me to pick her up, take her to my bedroom and… _okay, stop it, that's not where we are. This is her moment. She is allowed to have this moment and she is allowed to decide._ A really tiny whimper still escaped my lips.

I opened my eyes as she leaned in, and in my excitement I wrapped my arms tightly around her, allowing myself to drown in her love and returned favor. I hadn't felt so _happy_ in so long. I couldn't feel her, but I knew that she loved every part of my touch and I wanted to give her _all_ of it. Her legs gave way, and I slowly backed us down the wall until she could straddle me comfortably.

She pulled away, licking her bottom lip. _Ohh, don't do that…_

"Not bad?" I teased, remembering her reaction to our kissing from earlier.

Nora smirked only for a moment, before leaning back in. "Practice makes perfect."

 **I always go back and use my old _Insanity_ version of memories (if I have to) to keep consistency but...ugh sometimes I hate how old me wrote something out and I'll want to change it. It's really hard writing moments of passion with a guy who can't feel any of it- all the good adjectives for passion and sexual feeling get tossed except for emotionally. Any who, read and review!**


	19. Chapter 17

**Okay so: first, Happy Holidays! Whatever you celebrate, or lack thereof, may it be grand! Next, this is something a little different. I've had this idea in my head for a while now, of diving into Harrison and Hank's past, and I wanted to see where it'd go if I typed it out. If not, oh well, I won't pursue it further. But if I like it, or if it holds, I'm adding it to the list of short stories I planned on writing for the series. I've got about 3 in mind, after I finish this book. I also know I've never written from Blythe's point of view (because I don't like her) but I tried to make myself sympathize with her. It's also been really nice to make things up from my head; that is, fresh from my mind. Sometimes I get bored typing out the book because I'm stuck within the confines, but with this I can make about anything up as long as the book can somehow confirm it or pay into it. So...forgive me, but this is the most excited I've been. Also, winter break, so I'm not dying of stress anymore.**

Chapter Seventeen

 **Blythe's POV**

"I heard from Vee Sky. Nora is at her house, hun. Don't be afraid, everything is okay." Hank said.

I sighed in relief. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. She never talks to me anymore or tells me where she's off to."

"No worries. I understand things have been hard for her. I have to go now, I'll call you later." He purred. I smirked. No man should ever make such a simple thing sound so sexy, and yet he could always do so.

"All right, my love." I giggled again, so happy to say it so freely. "Thank you."

"Good night." He hung up. I sighed happily.

 _I haven't been so happy in a long time, and yet..._

 _It's all wrong._

I sighed again, this time forlorn. I stared at the computer screen, trying to do the last minute assignment Hugo assigned me, but my thoughts jumped everywhere. I hated my job, so there was that. I also couldn't focus at all; every time I had one thought it'd fall into another, and another. That, combined with my exhaustion, and it just wasn't easy to do any work.

I'd wanted so much for things to go back to normal after I'd gotten Nora back. Not only did I get my beloved daughter back, but the man I'd longed to be with helped me find her. I was eternally grateful towards Hank, and I planned on loving and protecting my daughter more than I'd ever had. _Great job you're doing._ I'd hoped that they'd get along, that I'd be able to add along the surprise of Hank along with her developing memories. I wanted to start over, have a new family, to make things more stable for everyone. Of course it wouldn't go well. Nora hated Marcie Millar, and here I was offering to make them sisters. It was a childish hope. I always had childish hopes.

" _I've had it with your childish dreams! Be gone, and may your bastard child will be just as much trouble as you are!"_

" _Oh no, Blythe. Don't bring that child here. There is no place for whores in our household!"_

I shook off my parents' words. I hadn't seen them since I'd graduated. Lately it had all been coming back to me. The fact that I was a terrible mother. The fact that I'd never be anything. The fact that nothing I'd ever bear would come to pass. I didn't want it to be that way. I wanted more than anything for Nora to be better than me, and she was. Stellar grades marking her intelligence, beautiful and modest, more responsible than I'd ever been.

 _At least until last April._

She was going to graduate, go to any school she wanted, and get her dream job.

 _What is her dream job? What does she even want to do when she gets older?_

I didn't know. I hadn't been able to sit and have deep conversation with my daughter since I'd gotten my "convenient" job. I always wanted to be close to Nora. When she was little, I always felt like we were close, but I suppose babies are always sweet to mommies. Because of how I was raised, I wanted to be a mother and a friend. For some reason, however, she'd never bonded with me as tightly as I'd hoped, and after I got this job, our bond broke more and more. Harrison had worked a 9-5 every day, and still somehow managed to be Nora's favorite parent.

 _Harrison._

Their bond had been unbreakable. Harrison Grey had the bond with Nora that I never found myself able to build. Nora idolized her father, martyred him even after he passed. When I'd told her I was considering selling the house…her father's house…of course she wouldn't have been okay with it.

" _Are you so casual about quitting because you're counting on Hank and having him bail us out?"_

I flushed at her words. As her mother, they were infuriating. But coming from the Blythe that I once was, I could understand. I was taking what she knew from her. It was selfish of me. She was pulling away from me, trying to find something to hold onto. I understood how she felt, and I was afraid that she was getting into trouble that she might not be able to get out of. Secrets were always a burden, and it was a burden I didn't want Nora to bear.

"Ugh!" I groaned, tossing the papers to the side of my keyboard.

 _Hank. Harrison and Hank._

They were best friends. I'd never intended for things to get so complicated. I would never regret having Nora, but if I'd chosen any other two people in my life things could have been normal.

 _Nora hated Marcie Millar, and here I was offering to make them sisters._

' _Make them sisters'. Who are you kidding?_ They already were. I'd yet to bring her true parentage up to Nora. I knew she needed to know but…I didn't have the nerve to tell her. I couldn't do that to her. I couldn't take her home, her life, _and_ her father. She'd never forgive me. She might leave me…I knew what it was like to be rejected from a home, and not only did I refuse to ever let Nora suffer the way I had to, but I didn't think I could survive it if she truly left me.

* * *

 _I burst into their apartment, looking for Hank. He appeared in the hallway, seeming annoyed, but I had no time for that._

" _Hank. Hank!" I cried, rushing into his arms._

" _Blythe, what's wrong?" he asked._

" _I…I'm pregnant." I sobbed. His eyes widened, and his entire body froze. Terrified, I sped on. "Three months. I don't have a regular period anyway, so I didn't know until I took a test. I didn't know what to do, so I told my mother, and she told my father…they're kicked me out of the house. They won't let me come home. They won't continue to pay for my schooling. I have nothing, Hank! What are we going to do?"_

 _He stared at me, and his eyes flashed. "We? What the hell, Blythe! How did this happen?!"_

" _Hank!" I cried. Was he? Was he really about to reject me after everything I'd been through?_

" _Okay…okay. I can see you're determined to keep it." He began to pace around, to my dismay. "Blythe…you know this is bad. You know my…family won't allow this. You'll be in danger if they know this is my child. They'll do their best to remove you and the kid. Ha…hahaha! You just had to try to get fucking pregnant, didn't you?!"_

 _I was horrified. "I didn't try to get pregnant! There's nothing in my life plan about this! How dare you sit there and act like I'm trying to trap you!"_

 _He turned towards me, furious. "You knew that my family set me up with Susanna! You knew that after I graduated, I had…other plans!" Seeing the anger and tears on my face, he kneeled down. I saw the raw fear in his eyes, and it stopped my crying cold. "Blythe I'm…I'm sorry. I don't mean to yell. I just…I'm so scared. My family…you have no idea what I have to face…what they're capable of…"_

 _I'd seen it. Hank had sometimes shown up with his body covered in welts. He healed fast, so he never had to worry about people seeing them. But I'd seen them. When I tried to bring it up, he demanded that I never speak of them, and to stay out of his business. He wasn't always like that; normally he was so sweet, confident, brash, bold…he only became skittish and angry when his family came up. We all did. All three of us had family problems. I understood._

" _We'll figure something out…it'll be okay. I promise." I said, rubbing his back and trying to sooth him._

" _Like what…like what?" He whispered, sounding desperate and possessed._

" _Guys?"_

 _We both stared at the door in shock._

 _Harrison walked through, and closed it quietly behind him._

* * *

To this day, Hank never told me what he'd done, or said, to convince Harrison to take me and Nora in. But he had. All I knew was that Harrison had a huge fight with his parents over me, and ended up estranging himself from them. At least that's what they told me. One thing was certain- we were alone. Hank supported us secretly, even helping us get the farmhouse, but he ended up being forced to marry Susanna. No one ended up with their happy ending.

Harri would have known. Even if we had been dating before we got married or had Nora, he would have known she wasn't his. He was always exceptionally intelligent and insightful, and hell, baby Nora's bright red hair would have given it away like a beacon. And yet…he stood by. He was always faithful. The man truly was a saint. I knew he'd want me to be happy, the way he always did, and yet…the only thing he wanted me to do was to take care of his baby. His Nora. Nora was what kept him near, what brought him the most happiness. If we ever fought, it was over her. The least I could do was keep her safe, to raise her well. And I was doing a shit job. She'd dated some…terrible boy, she'd been stalked, _shot_ , _kidnapped…_ and here I was indulging in my college day fantasies.

* * *

" _Harrison?"_

 _He looked up from the bills, glasses straight and every hair in place. "Yes?"_

 _I sat down on the couch next to him. We'd bought the farmhouse, and he was determined to do the math to figure out how to update it. I trusted him wholly._

" _Why don't you take a break and come with me to the beach or something?" I offered. It was a sunny day out, and I just thought we could do something different._

" _No, I'm all right. You go ahead, Blythe. Have fun." He turned back down towards his work. I huffed. He looked up and smirked. "You know, you've done that since we were in college. It's always been cute."_

 _I smirked. "It's never been effective on you."_

 _Harrison was the only person I'd ever met who could make his eyeglasses somehow flash, the way they did in cartoons, and he did it._

" _Any who, where's Nora?" I asked._

" _She's at the park with Vee. She called me and asked, because she knew it was a school night. Knowing that girl, they're probably getting like five hot dogs. And I don't mean Nora." Harrison teased. I hit him with a pillow._

" _Harri! Don't be like that!" I gasped, laughing._

 _He laughed, and then continued his work. Shrugging, I got up to grab my purse and my keys. "I'm going to the store then. Want anything?"_

 _He paused. "Umm… Italian bread, honey ham…"_

" _Spicy mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and one slice of turkey for good measure." I finished, rolling my eyes and smiling. "You've gotten the same thing almost every time I go."_

" _Then why ask me?"_

" _Maybe switch it up?"_

" _Fine. Regular mustard."_

 _I groaned and walked to the garage. Before I hit the door, I had the strangest feeling. I walked back._

" _Hey, Harri…?"_

 _He looked up, confused. "Yes?"_

" _You're a good father. I'm glad you're in Nora's life."_

 _He blushed, and for a second he was so handsome. "Aww, Blythe. Thanks!"_

 _I chuckled and left._

* * *

I loved Harrison. I just loved him as my best friend, not as my lover. Nora never once caught on. Harrison was serious about her having a normal life, untainted by our complicated relationship. The first year was the hardest, but after that we fell into a groove and eventually became the best of friends. It broke my heart when he was killed- I'd lost a support system and a partner.

I also couldn't help but think that Nora wouldn't be so far away from me now if Harrison were still around. Especially with that rotten boy. He would have stepped in, been able to be the firm hand that I couldn't be. I couldn't expect her not to grow and want to stretch her wings but…well, she'd never been so angsty or troubling when he was around. No matter their shared blood, Hank could never replace what Harrison had been…maybe I needed to speak to Hank about…

 _Hank is the best! He wants the best for Nora! He wanted to protect her!_

My head was woozy. The thoughts had come from nowhere, and yet I felt them with true conviction. Yes. Hank wanted to protect her. Whoever had treated him like that would never treat my daughter that way. She needed to respect that at the least. Now there was time. Now there was time to make everything right. Hank would fix it. The same way he'd stood by my side when Nora was kidnapped. He'd been so sweet, offering a reward, even standing near me, holding my hand on national TV….

Yes, he'd fix it all. I'd stop worrying.

 **You know? I just...oooh man, the same way I did with _Eternal,_ I want to go somewhere that isn't the cliche "We loved each other but infidelity" timeline with them. I want to delve, because I don't think things were as simple as Nora has been led to believe (they never are!) Anyway, let me know! Also, to my lovely readers that may not get to go home for the holidays- you are LOVED! Read and review!**


	20. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

 **Hank's POV**

"I heard from Vee Sky. Nora is at her house, hun. Don't be afraid, everything is okay." I purred. Blythe was as weak as putty when I spoke to her in a certain way

Blythe sighed in relief. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. She never talks to me anymore or tells me where she's off to."

"No worries. I understand things have been hard for her. I have to go now, I'll call you later." How the woman could never keep tabs on her own child was surprising, but Blythe was never the most observant or bright.

"All right, my love." she giggled, so happy to say it so freely. "Thank you."

"Good night." I hung up. I scowled.

Nora was becoming more and more of a handful each day. I hadn't called Vee Sky. I'd called her mother. Nora hadn't been there at all. Really, children thought that they could get away with any lie. I was too old, too experienced, for something that stupid to fool me. Honestly, I never really wanted children. Even as a youth, the thought of raising children was always distasteful for me. Marcie was already excessive, but she was easily put off by pretty trinkets and toys, similar to her mother. Nora was very headstrong, impulsive, and it seemed that she lacked any true discipline in her life.

I'd never wanted to have Nora. Everything had been fine until….until Harrison was murdered. It had all gone so wrong. Terrible, really.

* * *

 _I was in pure shock. I wasn't ready for this. I could see it already. This was a huge breach of protocol. Chauncey would torture me. Miserably. I'd get the absolute hell beaten out of me. I wasn't ready for that. I couldn't deal with another punishment, not when I'd done nothing to deserve it…_

 _Blythe was taken aback. "I didn't try to get pregnant! There's nothing in my life plan about this! How dare you sit there and act like I'm trying to trap you!"_

 _I spun around. "You knew that my family set me up with Susanna! You knew that after I graduated, I had…other plans!" Blythe's face broke, and I felt terrible. I saw her dismay, but…but she knew that my "family" was different. She knew, she had seen…what Chauncey had done to me once. I kneeled down, almost overcome by terror. "Blythe I'm…I'm sorry. I don't mean to yell. I just…I'm so scared. My family…you have no idea what I have to face…what they're capable of…" What she'd seen, was just the tip of the iceberg. I'd seen Chauncey torture men into insanity, keeping them locked up in dark, dank rooms to starve to death, only to come back to life to be tortured some more…_

" _We'll figure something out…it'll be okay. I promise." She said, rubbing my back._

" _Like what…like what?" I whispered, sounding possessed._

" _Guys?"_

 _We both stared at the door in shock._

 _Harrison walked through, and closed it quietly behind him._

* * *

Harrison was my best friend. He was the only person that I'd ever found it within myself to confide to beyond a surface level. All those years of being alone, of being indoctrinated by Chauncey, I'd finally found a friend that was somehow able to relate to me, and allow me to be myself. I'd known him from going to college with him, and in the four years we'd known each other I'd learned to appreciate his open, honest nature. No one had ever been honest to me. It wasn't something that happened. I valued his friendship more than anything.

And then he ended up dead.

It was one of the few things that I regretted in my life. Being too weak to prevent myself from swearing fealty, and being too weak to stop myself from consistently putting my best friend-my brother- in danger.

I went the bathroom and sneered at myself. It was like I didn't put him there in the first place.

* * *

 _I shut the door behind me._

" _Dude, she's pregnant, and I don't know what the fuck to do!" I cried._

 _Harrison stared at me, confused. "Like…so you didn't use protection?"_

 _I stared at him._

" _I mean, the logical thing to have done would been to use protection. I'm not sure why you're so surprised. Are you and Blythe even that serious?"_

" _That's not fucking helping. And no! I mean I like her, she's cool and fun, very refreshing, but..." I almost wanted to laugh. Normally his humor was endearing to me, but right now it made me want to punch him in the jaw out of frustration. I tried my best to control myself, but this was beyond helping. "I have to do something. I can't take her home. I cannot do that. My family, my…" I always called Chauncey my grandfather for ease- "grandfather, will not allow that to happen."_

 _Harrison nodded. "I understand what it is to not be accepted by family. Believe me. And she wants to keep it?"_

" _Apparently!"_

" _All right. Maybe put it up for adoption?"_

 _So nonchalant. He thought this was all so simple. If I were a normal human being, this could have been. But that wasn't the case._

" _Harri…My grandfather will kill that child. If not my grandfather, one of his enemies. One of our enemies. That child will have a target on its head from the moment Blythe begins to show. Her parents have already kicked her out. She's got nowhere to go and I can't take her with me. If I could, I might but… I'm already supposed to be meeting with Susanna, the girl that my grandfather wants me to be with. I wasn't supposed to be messing around at all. Now I'm going to get…get…" I crumbled to the floor. I couldn't face it._

 _Harrison's face creased, and he sat on the bed. "I don't know what to say either. The people coming after Blythe and the kid…we can't really let that happen either. It's not right. It's not fair. We have to do something. I'm sure there's somebody that can take them in, somewhere that they can go."_

 _I stewed through all of my options. I wanted to cackle; Harrison was my age, he could take him, I thought jokingly._

 _Actually…_

" _Harrison…" I began._

" _Yeah?"_

" _Could you take it?"_

 _He jumped off of the bed, shocked. "Like…take the kid? Did you really just ask me that?"_

 _I began to speed through my words. "Wouldn't it be perfect? Your family already expects you to go the traditional route. This is perfect. You don't have to like her, it's the perfect front!"_

 _He looked at me in disgust._

" _Okay, first, you can't just force your baby mama and kid on me just because you're desperate! What would I do with them?! Next, you already know how my family is. I'm not going back there. I understand you have this whole mafia-mob issue with your family and that's deep and all, but I don't think you can just tell me to take all of this on like that! Maybe if I had the means, I could, and I know that I want to help, but…"_

 _I looked at him in desperation. Harrison was so put together. Despite his terrible background, he always handled everything so calmly. He didn't usually panic. Now we both were. He had to do it. He HAD to._

" _I get it, I do, but wouldn't this make everything better? You'll have the familial support you need, I won't disrupt anything in my family, and the kid and Blythe go free! It's perfect!"_

" _Dude! No! And I know we've had this conversation, and you know for a fact that I'm g—"_

 _I put my hands over my ears and began to sway in a panic. "I get it! I know! Just…SHUT UP!"_

 _Silence._

 _I looked up, and Harrison's eyes were foggy. I realized what I had done._

 _I realized what I had to do._

 _I stood up and looked him in his eyes._

" _Harri…Harri I'm so sorry. But I need you to understand what's happening here." I spoke in a calm voice, trying not to portray any weakness. "I need this. You need this. Things bigger than both of us are at hand, and I refuse to let any of the work my grandfather and I have done crumble because of something as minute in time as an unwanted child. I need you to take Blythe and the child. You care about their safety. You care about all of our safety. I promise you or Blythe will not go without. But I need you to do this for everyone. In war, sacrifices have to be made. You will take them. However you choose to deal with them is on you, but you will take them, and you will protect the child."_

 _I stood back, and Harrison's eyes cleared. I couldn't look him in the face._

" _I'll take the child, Hank. I understand that it's going to be hard, but I'm willing to do the right thing for this kid."_

" _Thank you."_

* * *

He'd done it. He'd gone home, told his family that he was going the traditional route and getting married with children. They didn't believe him. I'd wanted to go in with some muscle, force them to accept them. Eliminate them if I had to. Harrison stopped me. He was always so forgiving.

I'd take it back if I could. But it was too late. Not to no avail, however. The fallen angel- _Rixon_ \- was in hell. Chauncey was dead. I could appreciate those two things that my hidden daughter was responsible for.

But I couldn't accept that she was determined to fraternize with the enemy. _Especially_ when Harrison sacrificed himself to make sure it didn't happen.

It was almost a shame that Nora wasn't able to be my legitimate daughter. Her traits would have been excellent if she had been brought up under the right conditions. Her blood was already somewhat stronger than a human's. Her intelligence and cunning were obvious, unfortunately for me with the loss of the archangel's necklace. Her resilience was impressive as well. The experiment in my cabin over the summer proved that, and it almost seemed like even the memory erasing wasn't as effective on her. The same things that made her a good choice made her a constant thorn in my side.

Not that it mattered. I wasn't going to die. I didn't need to worry about a successor. Chauncey's actions came to mind. I couldn't punish her again for her actions. I'd sworn not to. _Although, with these new devilcraft experiments…just maybe…_ However. I didn't have the time for her games. She was a selfish child, unaware of the bigger picture. She needed to be told how to understand, if she was going to pretend to be too dull to pick it up.

My phone rang, and I picked it up. "Blythe, dear, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I have to go into the office, and I was wondering if you could house-sit to make sure Nora gets home?"

I sneered. _Perfect timing._ "Of course, love, anything for you."

 **I think I found the perfect balance of sympathy and disgust for Hank in the chapter. And is there a little bit...more between Hank and Harrison? Hankison? Gosh let me stop I'm ugly lol. Let me know. Read and review!**


	21. Chapter 19

**Two chapters to make up for my absence. I realized, when I write about Patch- I've unconsciously given him terrible PTSD. It fits, considering all of the things he's gone through and all of the stress and weight he has to deal with, but it was never my real intention to give him exactly PTSD. Hell I struggle with the weight of school plus extra-curriculars; I can't imagine dealing with the fates of the world and shit lol.**

 **Also, side note- the dreams that Patch has are of different memories that are supposed to flow together because...dreams. It's hard to convey that so I'm sorry!**

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 **Patch's POV**

Face bashfully red, Nora stopped me from kissing her again.

"Enough," she said, chuckling.

"When it comes to you, I don't know what that means. You'll have to explain." I said, moving her hands. She jerked them back.

"Patch!" she cried, getting that cute frustrated look on her face. It was the first time she'd called me Patch since she'd vanished. I'd missed her hearing the name come from her lips. _Her puffy, incredible-looking…_

I leaned back in, and she crossed her arms.

"I won't let you hold me for the next three months if you don't stop."

I wished her luck stopping me, but I leaned back and put my hands up. "You run a hard bargain, Angel. I'm being coerced to accept. I'm just saying, we could do so much if we just made about fifteen steps into the bedroom…"

" _No."_

She looked so smug, and… _You're so cute!_

 _I missed you so much._

I didn't know it was possible to feel so complete. I knew that real life waited outside of these walls, but inside them it was just me and her. It felt so right. I nuzzled her nose, making her laugh, then I placed my head on her shoulders and began playing with her hair. She yawned.

"Tired?"

"Yeah." She yawned again. "I know I'll need to drive home. I don't know if I'll make it. Maybe you could drop me off?"

"Yeah, I can do that. Just give me a little more time with you first."

She blushed, and then her eyes closed. "Let me know when you're ready."

"You could always stay here tonight anyway, though. We don't have to do anything."

No answer.

Soon she was snoring quietly, like a purr. I wasn't going to be ready to let her go tonight. I untangled myself from her, and lifted her up, carrying her into my bedroom. I hoped that she had better dreams in there than I had ever had.

Her eyes fluttered as I lay her down into my rarely-used bed. The sheets were silk, told to be very comfortable- but I wouldn't know. Her body sank into it, and even unconsciously her face was blissful, so it must have been nice. Only the best for her.

I walked out of the room, only to call Vee and to let her know that she needed to vouch for Nora's whereabouts. She proceeded to try to curse me out, but with some…persuasion, she conceded. I went back into the room and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

She looked like a fallen goddess. She was laying on her back, so her red hair was strewn across the black pillows. The contrast of both of the colors, combined with her skin, was majestic and tragic. Like something from a Renaissance painting. The darkness added to the image of her laying, as if in a wake. I envisioned a concrete slab in the middle of a great hall, with the black silk sheets, and Nora laying on it. The death of something beautiful. My heart dropped. That was my biggest fear this past summer. Finding out that she had died, that I had failed. Having to find her body and watch as she was laid to rest next to her father. I watched, waiting thankfully every time her chest rose and fell.

Sleeping, Nora looked so peaceful. I went over to sit on the bed. So calm, quiet, and unbothered. I slowly leaned down next to her, until I was lying face to face with her. A deep sleeper too, like a rock. She didn't even move. I smiled, and began stroking her cheek. She smiled, but still didn't wake up. I could imagine how warm she was. She smelled really nice too. Like jasmine and vanilla. I closed my eyes. I understood that this was probably as close as I should move, both out of the respect I was supposed to have and because she might wake up. I wanted to do this every night. It would be perfect. We could just avoid all of the problems by staying down here.

 _Yep. I'm okay with that._

* * *

 _I saw Chauncey slowly moving towards Nora, and Nora was clinging onto a ladder. I needed to get to her…I needed to grab her and get her out of here…_

" _Help!" Her scream was filled with so much anguish that I could have cried. I couldn't move, but Angel needed me. I'm coming…I'm coming! What can I do…_

" _No…No!"_

 _The guttural scream escaped me as soon as she fell. I finally regained control of my body, but it was too late. I'd watched, frozen in shock and horror, as her body cracked against the gym floor._

" _Nora!" I raced forward, falling on my knees and picking her up. I vaguely noticed Chauncey's body make impact near the floor._

 _Her body was contorted from the impact, and her neck was bent. She was becoming paler as her life left her. I leaned over her body, helpless._

" _It's all right, it's going to be okay…" I murmured frantically as I tried to calm down. "Nora…Nora…"_

 _My voice was plaintive as I shook her. "Nora…it's okay…you're going to be okay…" I held her head closer to mine, trying to hear for breathing. I heard a little, but it was small and fading. "The paramedics, they'll get here, we can get you help…" I looked up, and her head lolled back with a sigh._

 _The only way I could describe it was like my soul shriveling. I felt completely empty._

 _It was over. Chauncey won. She was gone. Nora was gone. My Angel was gone._

 _I'd failed her._

" _Aghhhhhhhh!" I threw my head back…_

* * *

I woke up, shaken by the emotions. I hadn't thought of Chauncey, or what had happened in the spring, for a long time. She had died. I'd only dealt with it for all of five minutes and it was some of the worst pain I'd ever felt. It had somehow been so overshadowed by all of what had followed. I tried to shake it off and went back to sleep.

* * *

" _You kissed Marcie." The words came out, but they were dead. There was no anger, no sadness, nothing. Her eyes filled with tears, and she bit her lip. I ran my hand down my face and squeezed the bridge of my nose, trying to hide the shame._

" _Tell me it's a mind game. Tell me it's a trick. Tell me that she has some kind of power over you, that you don't have any choice when it comes to being with her." She asked me, the last of her hope in the questions. If I could have answered 'yes' to any of them, I could have saved her._

" _It's complicated." I came here to talk, and I hadn't bothered to get to the point. Now it was too late._

" _No." she gasped, shaking her head. "Don't tell me it's complicated. Nothing is complicated anymore-not after everything we've been through. What do you even hope to get out of a relationship with her?"_

 _I caught her eye, begging her to understand. "Not love." Never, not from her._

 _I watched her sag with defeat. Her entire body crumbled, like she couldn't keep herself steady anymore. Her fingers curled, and she looked down at them, before looking back at me hatefully._

" _You make me sick." She growled…._

 _The Nephil tied a blindfold over her face, and threw her over his shoulder. She began to scream in a panic._

" _Don't let them take me! Patch NO!" she screamed, squirming in the Nephil's arms._

 _I gasped when I saw her face. One black eye; the other bloodshot. Bruising all around her skull, welts on her cheeks, both from handprints and from something else. Welts, running down her arms, down her back, and probably into her legs. Dried blood on her lips. I began to shake, and angry tears threatened to run down my face._

* * *

I woke up again, breathing heavily. This was why I didn't sleep. My guilt and stress tended to slip into my dreams, making it harder and harder for me to have any type of respite against a world that was determined to show me how much of a fuck-up I was.

Nora was asleep next to me, although she'd rolled on to her stomach. Her face was even closer to me now, and I looked at her. Sometimes I wished I'd been able to lose my memories along with her. We could have both started clean. _How pathetic._ She deserved better.

I sighed and got up from the bed. I didn't want to disturb her with my own problems. I walked into the bathroom to shower, and as I began running the water my phone rang.

Dabria.

 _Ugh._

"Yes?" I answered.

"Well, that's no way to greet your partner in crime, now is it?" she purred.

"What actually do you want? It's late."

I could hear her surprise. "Late? Coming from the guy who doesn't sleep and patrols the streets like Batman?"

I was becoming more annoyed by the moment. "If there's nothing you want, I'm hanging up. Don't call me to chit chat."

"Fine. You weren't always so boring."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you sure?" I could hardly remember my earliest days but they were empty compared to the life I led since I'd fallen.

She sounded pleased with my laugh. "Well. Hank Millar and his minions will be coming to me for a visit at some point. Their friendly neighborhood psychic. I can't see too much of what is going to happen, but what I can see is that he is- incredibly concerned. It's the most concerned I've ever actually seen him. Which is nice, because the arrogant Nephil—"she stopped to collect herself. "Well, anyway. I'm not sure if your plans have changed. But know that things are coming to a crossroads, so you may want to make sure you're on the right side of it all."

I took in her information. Hank Millar, concerned. It would be a first, especially because he never wiped that arrogant mug off of his face for anything. He thought he was on top of the world. Whatever was going to happen, I needed to make sure I was the reason for it.

"Noted. A free reading? What is this?" She never told me anything without gouging me for cash. "What do you want?" I suppose I could ask, since she'd been so kind.

"What are you willing to give me?" she teased.

"Nothing if you don't tell me what it is you want. I'm okay with taking free information. I'm being nice by not hanging up the phone." My bathroom was getting steamy, and while I couldn't feel it, I certainly didn't want to be in there on the phone, thinking of _Dabria._

"You certainly aren't feeling playful tonight at all." _I never feel playful with you._ "Let's see. Since I didn't tell you very much, I'll be generous and only ask for $3,000. I'm planning on getting myself some new clothes, and I love donations."

Nothing she ever said was worth the amount she made me pay for it. Especially when she hadn't actually told me anything other than "look out". It was honestly why I never bought into her whole "psychic shop" shtick that she was pulling on pitiful humans. She was authentic, yes, but frankly nothing humans really did was worth finding out for her prices.

"$1,500."

"$2,500."

"$1,500 is my final offer or you get nothing."

She sighed exasperatedly. "You know, I'm always so kind to you! I was being generous! I do my best, and I swear that—"

"Your money will be wired to you. Have a wonderful night, Dabria."

I snickered as I heard her happy gasp at my 'nice statement' before I hung up. Before she could call back, I turned the phone off and stepped into the shower.

I began to think of my options, letting my mind reach its own conclusions and ideas. Somebody releasing the trapped archangel was a stretch, but I had a feeling that that wasn't Hank's concern. She had clipped wings, and no necklace. She was useless without either of those things, especially when Hank was experimenting on her with whatever craft he was creating. So I doubted that that had happened.

His mortality was next. Mortality was becoming more of shaky term by the day. The only way I could see Hank dying was if he'd broken his promise and…killed Nora. I became immediately defensive. I wouldn't allow that to happen. However, his mortality was the only thing Hank feared to lose. He was no longer sworn to fealty, so I doubted that he'd lost his freedom again. I'd have to do more looking.

My instinct kept leaning back to the archangel. It had to involve her. The archangels themselves. Hank was playing a dangerous game with Heaven… These were questions that needed answers. I might need to wait until Dabria had her meeting with him. Ironically enough, I felt kind of sheepish that I'd brushed her off. Still, she'd come back. She always did.

Drying off, I walked back into my bedroom. Nora was still there, still sleeping with that same purr of a snore. Feeling a little naughty, I changed clothes right in front of her. She didn't move a muscle. I felt like a teenage human boy. No purpose beyond being childish. Still, feeling like I'd done enough, I sat back in the chair next to the bed. Finally, she inhaled, exhaled, gasped— and fell back asleep. I laughed. I wouldn't be going back to sleep, and the world was admittedly still outside. At least she got a chance to rest, and I was going to make sure it was unbothered.

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	22. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

 **Patch's POV**

After putting the house key in her pocket, I leaned back in the chair, keeping my eyes on Nora. I didn't know how much time had passed, but soon she twitched, and her eyes opened. She looked so beautiful, so calm, so at peace…and then she shot up awkwardly, grasping at the covers.

"My mom is going to kill me!" she cried, shouting to the ceiling. _Thank goodness the walls are all concrete and mortar._

"Already taken care of," I piped in, causing her to twist towards me. "I called Vee. She agreed to vouch for you. The story she gave your mom is that the two of you were at her house watching the five-hour version of _Pride and Prejudice,_ you lost track of time, you fell asleep first, and rather than wake you up, Vee's mom agreed to let you sleep over."

Nora's forehead crinkled. "You called Vee? And she agreed, no questions asked?" I could hear her calling bullshit in her question, so I had to tell the truth.

"It might have been slightly more difficult than that."

"You _mind-tricked_ her?"

"Between asking permission and begging forgiveness, I lean toward the latter." It was a much faster way of getting things done, and besides, I could always feign lack of knowledge. Either way, I didn't care too much for Vee anyway.

"She's still my best friend. You can't mind-trick her!"

I felt a minute amount of sheepishness. "You were exhausted. And you looked peaceful sleeping in my bed." _Come on, Angel, can't you just stay with me…_

She exhaled sharply. "That's because your bed has some kind of spell on it." She looked at it, admiring it. "I could sleep here forever. Satin sheets?"

"Silk." More power to her for feeling a 'power' from the bed, because no matter the cost of the sheets it wasn't like it mattered to me. It could have been gravel and I still wouldn't have slept any more peacefully.

Nora's eyes rose and she inhaled sharply, turning to the sheets. Then she looked back at me. "Swear that you won't _ever_ mind-trick Vee again."

"Done." It wasn't a _real swear_ without a knife and blood but…I'd do my best. She didn't look like she believed me too much anyway, but she let it pass.

"I don't suppose you have an explanation for why both Vee and my mom have consistently denied knowing you exist? In fact, the only two people who've confessed to remembering you at all are Marcie and Scott."

Marcie, huh? No wonder. That would have been suspicious enough. "Vee dated Rixon. After Hank kidnapped you, I erased her memory of Rixon. He used her and put her through a lot of pain." My throat tightened, and I didn't know if I was talking about Vee or myself. I went a different direction. "It was easier in the long run if I did my best to make everyone forget him. The alternative was letting your friends and family hang their hopes on an arrest that was never going to happen. When I went to wipe Vee's mind, she put up a fight. To this day, she's angry. She doesn't know why, but it's rooted inside her. Erasing someone's memory isn't as easy as it sounds. It's like trying to pick all the chocolate chips out of a cookie. It's never going to be perfect. Pieces get left behind. Unexplainable beliefs that feel compelling and familiar." I was sure that Nora understood that part. "Vee can't remember what I did to her, but she knows not to trust me. She can't remember Rixon, but she knows there's a guy out there who caused her a lot of grief."

Nora was taking it all in intensely. My thoughts turned back to her upset at Vee not telling the truth.

"Might want to cut her some slack. She has your back. Honesty is a good thing, but so is loyalty." Vee was incredibly loyal to Nora. She was always so ready to do stupid things with Nora, even when she knew that it wouldn't turn out well.

"In other words, let her off the hook."

I shrugged. "Your call." There were worse offenses a friend could commit. I was fully aware of that. On this scale, Vee was trying to protect Nora, no different than I was. She was just had no clue how outweighed she was.

"And my mom? Going to vouch for her too?"

If I had a distaste for Vee, I actually couldn't stand Blythe Grey. "She thinks I had something to do with your abduction. Better me than Hank." She was a silly woman, and that silliness would at least protect her, if not her daughter. "If Hank thought she knew the truth, he'd do something about it."

Nora was allowing these things to run through her mind, and any of the peace from her earlier rest was gone. She looked pressed. She shook her head, brushing some thoughts off.

"You mean the arrest was never going to happen because Rixon's in hell now." she said bluntly. My heart jumped, and I lowered my eyes, nodding. I didn't like to talk about him or Hell.

"In your memory, I saw you agree to spy on fallen angels for Hank."

I nodded again. "What they're planning and when. I meet weekly with Hank to share information."

"What if fallen angels find out you're selling secrets behind their backs?"

"I'm hoping they don't." I made it a point to try not to worry about that, otherwise I might question myself. I was also bound by oath, so the point was moot. I'd die either way.

Nora frowned at me. "What would they do to you?"

"I've been in worse situations and managed to pull through." My nonchalance was irritating her, and I smiled. "All this time and you don't have any faith in me."

"Could you be serious for two seconds?" she huffed, eyes flashing. _So cute._ I leaned over and kissed her hand.

"They'd cast me into hell. They're supposed to let the archangels handle that, but it doesn't always work that way."

" _Explain."_ She demanded.

It reminded me of studying angel law back in Heaven, and I leaned back arrogantly because if she wanted I was capable of explaining all the damn covenants and legislature. Still, that wasn't my place anymore. Wasn't my position.

"Humans are forbidden from killing each other; it's the law. But people are murdered every day. My world isn't much different. For every law, there's someone out there willing to break it. I won't pretend to be innocent. Three months ago I chained Rixon in hell, even though I had no authority to other than my own sense of justice."

" _You_ chained Rixon in hell?"

She sounded shocked; _why?_ "He had to pay. He tried to kill you." How could that not be obvious?

"Scott told me about Rixon, but he didn't know who chained him in hell, or how it was done. I'll let him know he has you to thank." She commented.

 _As if I cared about Scott._ "I'm not interested in the half-breed's gratitude. But I can tell you how it's done. When the archangels banish a fallen angel from heaven and rip out his wings, they keep one feather for themselves. The feather is meticulously filed and preserved. If the occasion arises where a fallen angel needs to be chained in hell, the archangels retrieve his feather and burn it. It's a symbolic act with inescapable results. The term 'burn in hell' isn't a figure of speech."

I began to think about when I was a guardian angel. Would that mean there were two feathers for me? Would my original feather still send me to hell? It was disconcerting, because if so there were now double the chances of me being banished to hell.

"You had one of Rixon's feathers?"

She kept asking me about him, and I was becoming uncomfortable, but I kept answering. "Before he went behind my back, he was the closest thing I had to a brother. I knew he had a feather, and I knew where he kept it. I knew everything about him." My words weren't as loud as I'd hoped. "And because of it, I didn't give him an impersonal send off." I thought back to the summer, and it made me tense. "I dragged him down to hell and burned the feather right in front of him."

The scene from _The Godfather Part II_ came to mind. When Michael found out his brother, Fredo, had betrayed him, he'd given him the 'kiss of death'. _"I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."_ Rixon truly broke my heart when I learned of his plans. _I couldn't have thought…but I could…but…_

Nora broke my cycle of dark thoughts. "Are these feathers floating around everywhere? Can anyone stumble across one?"

I shook my head, still feeling low. "The archangels keep one feather on record. A few fallen angels like Rixon made it to Earth with a feather or two intact. When that happens, the fallen angel makes damn sure his feather doesn't fall into the wrong hands." I breathed a chuckle. "And you thought we weren't sentimental."

"What happens to the rest of the feathers?"

"They rapidly deteriorate on the way down. Falling from heaven isn't a smooth ride." Not at all. Mine was devastating, to say the least.

"What about you? Any secret feather locked away?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Plotting my downfall?" She _was_ asking an awful lot of questions about feathers….

Nora smiled, rolling her eyes. "A girl's got to keep her options open."

I smirked back. "Hate to disappoint, but no feathers. I came to Earth stripped naked."

At the word 'naked', she flushed. "Mm."

' _Mm' is right, Angel. Naked thoughts are right, too._ "I like you in my bed. I rarely pull down the covers. I rarely sleep. I could get used to this picture." The thought of her, in my bed, sleeping next to me….of me being able to hold her every night, of knowing she was safe…of being able to—

"Are you offering me a permanent place?"

"Already put a spare key in your pocket."

She checked. "How charitable of you."

 _It was definitely easier than getting it to you this summer…_

"I'm not feeling very 'charitable' now." I commented, looking into her eyes. I combination of slight lust, general passion, and melancholy had entered my voice. "I missed you, Angel. Not one day went by that I didn't feel you missing from my life. You haunted me to the point that I began to believe Hank had gone back on his oath and killed you. I saw your ghost in everything. I couldn't escape you, and I didn't want to. You tortured me, but it was better than losing you."

All of the things she'd been through when we met, when we were torn apart by the archangels, just to be torn apart again by Hank…it was some of the worst pain I'd ever experienced. Seeing how he beat her, being cut off from her, _her wrist,_ seeing her once last time before he took her away _again,_ her spiteful and terrified pleas…I had nearly gone insane. I never wanted to feel that kind of emotional pain again; I'd rather have actually felt it on my skin than in my heart.

"Why didn't you tell me everything that night in the alley with Gabe? You were so angry." She shook her head, probably remembering all of the panicked garbage that I'd spat at her. "I thought you hated me."

 _I'm sorry, Angel…_ "After Hank released you, I spied on you to make sure you were okay, but I swore to end my involvement with you for your own safety. I'd made my decision and I thought I could deal with it. I tried to convince myself there was nothing left for us." _So, so sorry…_ "But when I saw you that night in the alley, my argument fell apart. I wanted you to remember be the way I couldn't stop thinking about you. But you couldn't. I'd made sure of it."

My eyes fell in shame, and I lightly clasped my hands together on my knees to gather strength for what I was going to say.

"I owe you an apology." I whispered. "Hank erased your memory to keep you from remembering what he did to you, but I agreed to it. I told him to erase it back far enough that you wouldn't remember me, either."

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	23. Chapter 21

**Lol well, after all of the reminders to post...I'm glad at least some of you guys are still here! Thanks for reminding me, because I'd honestly considered giving up on this whole thing. When I say it's been busy...well, some private stuff. Anyway, a longer chapter, and I'm already working on the next one to post later today!**

Chapter Twenty-One

 **Patch's POV**

Nora's eyes cut at me, shock widening them. "You agreed to _what?"_

Before she could go on some ill-informed rant, I began to rush through my words.

"I wanted to give you your life back. Before fallen angels, before Nephilim, before me. I thought that was the only way you'd get through the worst of what happened." Part of that was true, but part of it was a deep, deep fear that she'd reject me. She'd realize that I'd messed up one too many times, and that resentment would stop our relationship from ever being what I'd wanted it to be. "I don't think either of us will deny that I've complicated your life. I've tried to make it better, but things haven't always gone my way." My hero shtick continued to die ever so much in front of me, and I'd tried so hard to maintain it for her. "I thought it through and came to the difficult decision the best thing for your recovery and your future was for me to walk away."

 _Did these words sound so distasteful and cowardly as thoughts?_

"Patch—"

"As for Hank, I refused to watch him destroy you." _Any more than he had._ "I refused to watch him ruin any chance you had at happiness by making you carry around those memories." I'd only seen what I could from all the times I'd attempted to find her. Only she and Hank Millar knew what she'd gone through when I couldn't see, and I could only pray that it wasn't worse than what I'd witnessed.

"You're right—he kidnapped you because he thought—"he _knew—_ "he could use you to control me. He took you away at the end of June and didn't bring you back until September. Every day during those months you were locked up and left by yourself. Even the most hardened soldiers can break in solitary confinement, and Hank knew that was my greatest fear."

Many times, even to this point, I would have to shake off the thoughts of what else could have happened to her. Someone had to have been there for her needs, but what if they'd—I couldn't picture it without drawing blood. Having Nora keep those memories…I was too weak to allow that to happen. Not when I couldn't be the one in those memories stopping it from happening.

"He demanded that I show my willingness to spy for him, even though I'd sworn an oath. He dangled you over me every minute of those months." That bastard. It was a testament to my love for Nora that my burning pride was only second reason to want to kill him. Still, it was strong. "He'll pay for that, and on my terms." I muttered.

"That night in the shed, he had us surrounded. The only thing on my mind was keeping him from killing you on the spot. If I'd been alone in the shed, I would have fought. I didn't trust you to handle a fight, and I've regretted it ever since. I couldn't handle seeing you hurt, and it blinded me. I underestimated everything you've already been through and grown stronger because of. Hank knew that, and I played right into his hands." On one end, there was Nora getting beat up by Marcie at the bar. I'd been foolish, and looked only for that part of Nora. I'd forgotten about the Nora that was willing to jump off of a rafter to save my life. That kind of bravery I'd blinded myself to, just so I could try to, once again, play hero. _Foolish._

Surprisingly she hadn't stopped me, so I kept going. "I laid a deal on the table. I told him I'd be his spy if he'd let you live. He accepted, and then called in his Nephilim men to take you away. I fought as hard as I could, Angel. They were mangled by the time they managed to drag you away. I met Hank four days later and offered to let him tear out my wings if he'd released you. It was the last thing I had to bargain with, and he agreed to hand you over, but the best I could get out of him was until the end of summer." Hindsight was 20/20, and the decisions I heard myself making were incredibly…stupid. Risky. The deals someone panicked might make. Bad deals.

"During the next three months, I searched tirelessly for you, but Hank had planned for that as well. He went to great lengths to keep your location secret. I caught and tortured several of his men, but none of them could tell me where you were. I'd be surprised if Hank told more than one or two handpicked men he assigned to make sure your basic needs were met."

While she was listening, Nora lifted her arm up to scratch it. The arm she'd cut. I didn't know if she'd noticed the long white line on her arm, but it didn't seem to occur to her to look for it. I saw it. It was glaringly obvious to me.

 _"I got out!" she whispered proudly. I was in shock. Of course she'd gotten out, I thought. That's how she was in front of me._

 _"Where are you, Angel? How did you get out?" I asked her urgently. She turned her face away from me, dodging my question. She turned back around to me, her eyes huge._

 _"I knew that they'd have to let me out. I knew it!" she answered. "I needed to find you, Patch! That's all I could think of, was that I needed to find you, and it helped me do it…" Nora began murmuring to herself. I looked upon her, worrying about her mental state. She'd obviously been trapped by herself for too long. Her head began to lean back; she was falling out. I shook her lightly, bringing her back into consciousness._

 _"Nora. Where are you, and how did you get out?" Nora looked at me, with a pained look. She lifted her arm, and put it in my hand. I was confused at first, until I flipped over her arm._

 _There was a large gash in her wrist._

 _I was horrified._

Glaringly obvious. I'd been so close to retrieving her then…if it weren't for the archangels…

I shook off my thoughts and continued. "A week before Hank released you, he sent one of his Nephilim messengers to find me. The messenger smugly informed me that Hank intended to erase your memory once he let you go, and did I have any objections?" I almost smirked as I recalled what happened. "I wiped the smirk off of his face. Then I dragged him, bloody and battered, to Hank's home."

 _I knew that she was only panicking, but I couldn't help but think that she was right. I'd failed her, so badly. Some guardian angel I was; even Ecanus (who I hadn't seen at_ _all_ _) knew of my failings as a guardian. My reverie was interrupted by a louder groan. I pulled the car to a swerve at the side of the highway, and turned around with a murderous look on my face._

 _"Make_ _one more fucking noise, and I'll re-break your neck."_ _I hissed menacingly. The noise stopped. I put the car back in drive, but more slowly._

 _I was the reason for everything bad in Nora's life. I was her original threat. Starting with Chauncey. Fate would have it that I would fall in love with his descendant, who I was originally determined to kill. If not counting Rixon, who had also been after her. If I'd never met her, she wouldn't be where she was right now. Suffering._

 _I pulled into Hank Millar's driveway, and dragged the bloody body into the house._

 _Hank jumped when he saw me sitting on his armchair in the morning, with the dead Nephil on his clean carpet. Well, not_ _dead,_ _but I'd meant it when I said I'd re-break his neck._

 _"Good morning, Sunshine." I said, smiling evilly. Hank was trying to control it, but he couldn't help his grimace. I shrugged, moving on._

 _"I'll be blunt. Erase it all. Back to April. And be_ _thorough._ _No flashbacks, no dreams. Nothing. Not even a memory of me."_

"I didn't want you to have a single memory of me, and I didn't want you waking up with nightmares of being locked up and alone for days on end. I didn't want you screaming out in the night without knowing why. I wanted to give you back as much of a life as I could. I knew the only way was to keep you out of everything. Then I told Hank to never lay eyes on you again. I made it very clear that if he crossed paths with you, I would hunt him down and mutilate his body beyond recognition. And then I would find a way to kill him, no matter the cost. I thought he was smart enough to hold up his end of the bargain until you told me he's hooked up with your mom. Instinct-"- _common sense_ \- "tells me this isn't just about his amorous affections. He's up to something, and whatever it is, he's using your mom, or more likely _you,_ to accomplish it."

Once she realized I was done, Nora's face turned red. "That… _snake!"_ she hissed, shaking her hair.

I laughed. It was the longest confession, the longest statement I'd ever spoken to her, and _snake_ was the strongest word that she could think of? It could have been cuter if I weren't so agitated. "I would have used a stronger word, but that works too." It spoke to her growth that that's all she had to say about everything I'd told her. Still, I didn't need to underestimate her again.

Nora put her head down, in thought. It was a lot to take in.

"He has an endgame in all of this. I don't know what it is, but it can't be harmless. Instinct-" _again, common sense_ "tells me that he wants his plan in motion before Cheshvan." I looked at Nora. "Cheshvan begins in three weeks." We were behind. Like, way behind. I didn't even know what he had planned; I didn't know how to plan around it. I didn't know how I'd take him down myself.

"I know what you're thinking," Nora began. "That you're going after him alone. But don't rob me of the satisfaction of bringing him down. I deserve that much."

 _My Angel._ I looped my arm around her, pulling her forward and kissing her forehead. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"So what now?"

 _Right._ I'd been working on a plan, but now that Nora was back and actively involved…well, I didn't know how well it would go over. "He's had a head start, but I plan on evening the score. Your enemy's enemy is your friend, and I have an old friend who might be useful to us." My stomach filled with dread. Nora might not remember her, but I could already picture that cat claws. _Here goes._ "Her name is Dabria, and I think it's time I gave her a call."

Dabria had probably already foreseen me calling her, and was probably shaking with petty glee. _Ugh._ If Nora had any type of memory of who Dabria was, she didn't show it. She got up and grabbed her pullover and shoes from my dresser.

"I can't stay here. I have to go home. I can't let Hank use my mom this way and not tell her what's going on."

I sighed. Blythe was always an issue. "You can't tell her anything. She won't believe you. He's doing the same thing to her that I did to Vee. Even if she didn't want to trust him-"which I doubted because Blythe was desperate- "she has to. She's under his influence, and for now, we have to leave it that way. A little longer, until I can figure out what he's planning."

Nora blushed and she began to shake. "Can't you march over there and tear him to shreds? He deserves a lot worse, but at least it would solve our problems. And give me some satisfaction." She pouted bitterly.

 _If only._ "We need to bring him down for good. We don't know who else is helping him and how far his plan extends. He's assembling a Nephilim army to go against fallen angels, but he knows as well as I do that once Cheshvan starts, no army is strong enough to defy an oath sworn under heaven. Fallen angels will sweep in by the droves and possess his men. He must be planning something else. But where do you fit in?"

I couldn't plug Nora into the equation. He could honestly just be fu- _messing_ with me. Toeing the line just to show that he could. But he knew that would just bring on my ire, and even I would think that he wouldn't waste time like that. He was too busy trying to get information-

 _Right. The trapped angel._ "Whatever he's planning, it all hangs on information he needs from the archangel. But to get her to talk, he needs an archangel's necklace."

Nora's face lit with recognition. I realized that I was speaking out of context…although her face didn't match it either…

"I'm sorry Angel, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me explain."

She waved me off. "I know about the necklace." _Huh?_ "I saw the caged archangel in one of your memories. And I'm pretty sure she tried to tell me to make sure Hank doesn't get it, but at the time I thought I was hallucinating."

Hallucinating. Necklace. Archangel.

"She's an archangel and powerful enough to insert herself into your conscious thought. Clearly she felt it necessary to warn you."

Archangels rarely, if ever, spoke to…"regular" humans. They rarely saw purpose or need, and it was also seen as a bit of a taboo to do it out of self-interest. I'd know. The fact that the archangel was able to break through whatever boundary Hank had set for her in that cage was impressive. It either meant that she could hold out a little longer than I thought, or that she was throwing a Hail Mary and was about to cave in to Hank's game.

Nora nodded. "Because Hank thinks I have your necklace."

"You don't have it."

"Try telling him that."

It clicked. _Of course. Of course!_ I felt stupid that I hadn't figured it out earlier. "That's what this is about. Hank thinks I planted my necklace on you." It made sense when I thought back to the conversation I'd had with Hank in front of the archangel's cage. He wasn't bluffing; he truly thought I'd put Nora in the crossfires just to stop him from getting what he wanted. It's what he would do.

I was insulted that he'd even thought I'd do anything like him, although it wasn't saying much.

"I think so."

Now that I knew his plan, I needed to move quickly. If the archangel was as close to caving as I thought she was, and I needed to think worst case scenario at this point, then I needed to get her. She was key. If I could remove her from Hank's clutches, that would put him a couple blows back.

"If I take you home, can you face Hank and convince him you've got nothing to hide? I need you to make him believe nothing has changed. This night never happened. No one blames you if you aren't ready, least of all me. But first I need to know you can handle this."

Nora's eyes flashed, and she put her hands on her hips and glared at me. I think a hair or two even fuzzed. It was cute, but I knew she was serious about the whole thing. I smothered a laugh.

"Yes ma'am." I replied.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked me.

I checked my phone. "It's really early in the morning…did you want to go now?" I asked, shocked. I didn't think she meant…at the moment, right now. "You can still get some more rest. I'd rather not drop you off in the middle of the night." I wasn't ready to break the space yet; I truly didn't know when we'd have another lone opportunity.

"Patch, we need to go. Now. You really thought I could go to sleep after all of this?"

It was a fair point, but… "Well…I kind of wanted you to myself some more tonight. You were so cute sleeping. If you're really so awake, I know of a great way to tire you out." I waggled my eyebrows.

Nora went to the bed, picked up a pillow, and tossed it at me. I didn't even move, I just closed my eyes and let the pillow hit me.

" _No._ We need to leave." She walked out of the room with a purpose. It was sexy, and gave me equal amounts turn on and anxiety. I hoped it lasted for her. I smiled and followed her out.

 **Just a bit of cute ending to...give some softness to a long and stressful chapter. I was going through it and I realized that Patch does not speak this much in one sitting, almost ever in any of the previous books. I was surprised while I was typing like "geez it's still him? Nora hasn't interrupted yet?" Read and review!**


	24. Chapter 22

**So I originally wasn't going to write Hank's POV, because he's such as asshole in this chapter and I just..no. But as I wrote it out, I realized it was a good decision, and kind of a mandatory part of the story. So I left it in.**

Chapter Twenty-Two

 **Hank's POV**

She opened the door and walked in, as if that was appropriate at this time of night.

Harrison would be so ashamed.

"Hello, Nora."

Nora jumped only slightly, throwing her arms up. She narrowed her eyes when she saw it was me. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother had to run to the office. Some emergency Hugo sprung on her at the last moment."

"It's five in the morning."

"You know Hugo." Nora only looked at me, suspiciously. What I said was true. Blythe did go to work. She just chose to so conveniently.

"I thought it'd be polite to get up and start my day too. What would it say about me if I stayed in bed while your mother works?" Blythe calling me had just been so ideal; having her as another set of eyes had been one of my more intelligent ideas.

Nora's face twisted with disgust.

"Thought you had plans to sleep at your friend Vee's house. Party's over so soon. Or should I say, so _late."_

Her disgust turned into rage. "I decided to sleep in my _own_ bed."

A smile hit my lips. She thought I'd been referring to Blythe's bed earlier, hm? Interestingly enough, although I'd not had Blythe in this household. Still, I knew I'd been in _my_ bed. Which bed had _she_ been in? "Right."

"Don't believe me?" she challenged.

Neither Nora nor Marcie was good at the lying game. I was too old, too seasoned at it to be fooled by simple retorts.

"No need to make excuses with me, Nora. I know there are very few reasons a young girl would feel compelled to lie about sleeping over a friend's house. Tell me. Who's the lucky guy?" I sipped some water, allowing myself to revel in the insult. I sensed her panic. She couldn't even look me in the face.

"Actually, I was watching a movie with Vee. Maybe Marcie has a history of sneaking out with boys, but I think it's safe to say I'm not Marcie."

 _Are you so sure?_ The lack of depth in either of their thinking patterns made me wonder how similar they were. Still, they'd been birthed from shallow mothers, so it shouldn't have surprised me. I didn't know if I was proud or irritated that they were clearly trying to be cunning like dear old dad.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really."

Did Blythe really go for these lies? "I called Vee's mother to check up on you, and she delivered shocking news. You hadn't set foot inside their house all night."

"You _checked up on me?"_

I decided to get to the point. "I fear your mother is too lenient with you, Nora. I saw through your fib and thought I'd take matters into my own hands. I'm glad we ran into each other, so we could have this little chat privately."

"What I do is none of your business." She retorted defensively.

"At the moment, true. But if I marry your mother," I started, hinting at my next potential move, "all the old rules go out the window. We'll be a family." I lilted. "I run a tight ship, Nora."

She nodded, putting her head down. Then she looked at me, and I saw a little spark of the Nora that I'd seen in our summer together. _Ah, what next?_ "You're right. I wasn't at Vee's." I contained my shock. Could she really be admitting the truth? "I lied to my mom so I could go for a long, undisturbed drive in the country to clear my head. Something strange has been happening lately." She tapped her head, and looked at me more pointedly. "My amnesia has been starting to clear. The past several months don't feel quite so vague. I keep seeing one particular face over and over. My kidnapper's. I don't have enough detail to identify him yet, but it's only a matter of time."

 _The fucking mind-erasure didn't work._

 _I'll fucking string Dante up by his-_

I calmed myself.

So she was looking for answers. She'd been looking for her own answers. She had a feeling it was me- because she couldn't possibly know that it was me, unless the erasing had been ineffective. But something was letting her know it was me. And I was beginning to wonder if it walked around dark, brooding, wingless and pathetic.

"Trouble was," she continued, "my piece of junk car broke down. I didn't want to get in trouble for driving around by myself late at night, so I called Vee and asked her to cover for me. I've spent the last few hours trying to get my car to start."

"Why don't I have a look at it? If I can't figure out what's wrong with it, I shouldn't be in car business."

"Don't bother. I'll take it to our mechanic." She stopped and leaned toward the stairs. "I need to get ready for school and I need to get some studying done. I prefer peace and quiet."

She was making it very hard for me not to backhand her. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of me."

She didn't even bother to change her expression, which irritated me a little. She pointed at the door. "I'll call my mom and let her know you left."

"And your car?"

"Mechanic, remember?"

I shrugged. "Nonsense. No need to make your mother pay a mechanic when I can solve the problem. Car's in the driveway, I presume?"

I turned and walked toward the door and out. If her car truly needed looking at, it would be the ideal time to put a tracker on it. I'd just need to get it to my shop. I opened the hood and began looking for "problems". After a bit, I found a small tear in one of the engine wires. "Right here," I said, pointing it out. "Problem solved. It'll hold for a few more days, but it's going to need fixing sooner rather than later. Bring it by the dealership today and I'll get my men on it."

If she wouldn't' do it, Blythe would, so I wasn't concerned that it'd get done. Nora didn't answer.

"I have to impress the daughter of the woman I intend to marry." Nora turned to leave, but I wasn't finished with her. "Oh, and Nora? I'm happy to keep this incident to ourselves, but for your mother's sake, I won't tolerate more lies, regardless of your intentions. Fool me once…"

Surprisingly not taking up my bait, she continued into her house. As soon as the door closed, I scowled. So whatever was going on, she was becoming more involved. Which meant I needed to move faster. I'd had Marcie working on something to keep Nora occupied, so that she could distract her. As long as I could keep Nora a couple steps behind, I could keep my own plans moving flawlessly.

* * *

 **Marcie's POV**

So my plan went flawlessly. I mean, naturally I knew it would, but seeing the results was so fulfilling. I made Nora Grey, the biggest dweeb in all of dweebdom, the girl that I swore up and down to ruin, the nominee for junior class attendant. I didn't know messing with someone could be so heart-warming, so charming, so…excellent. Of course, everyone was going to nominate me, but I told them not to. It was a true shame, but there was a special caviat to the whole deal.

I got to tell EVERYONE that she was batshit.

Batshit nuts.

My father told me that she was having hallucinations. That sometimes she'd say things that of course no one would believe, and that people should realize that they needed to just "entertain, yet ignore her." He then said I should do something nice for her, and he winked. The same way he winked when we pranked her with the note in her house.

That was all I needed.

I told Allyson that Nora still imagined that she was in a loony room, and sometimes went to the bathroom to slob and mutter to herself. Allyson is stupid, so she took that one and ran with it.

I told Jon that Nora would sing to herself while she walked, because it was the song she loved to sing for her kidnapper, and he began to look out for her. He even said he saw her singing a couple times.

I told Cassie that Nora still cried sometimes in her bed, and had even peed in it a couple times due to night terrors. She felt so bad, and proceeded to ask others about "remedies".

Then I told them all that in order to get Nora nominated, they needed to create sympathy. Naturally they went for the hallucinations. Soon, there were things that I hadn't even come up with bubbling around the school. Whatever they were, they got her nominated. Poor ditz hadn't even noticed it. Nora had been in the clouds ever since she got back to school, and part of me took real glee in noting that she was no longer the nerdy, goody-two-shoes that she'd been beforehand.

Funnily enough, though, I didn't feel as excited as I would have before. Normally I would have loved smearing Nora's name all on the walls, but…something felt off. I enjoyed the games that my dad was helping me play, because for once he was paying attention to me. For once he was actually on my side, although he was still dating that whore Blythe. I felt like he MAYBE considered it a peace-offering, and I was perfectly okay with it. Still…I knew Hank Millar. He never just did things to do them…I didn't know if he was playing me to make Blythe more stupidly in love with him or what.

 _Well, whatever. Dad is finally taking note of his true daughter, and that's what counts._

I walked into English, and Nora was in the second row, texting. Our blind as a bat professor kept looking at her, trying to see if there was enough evidence to call her out.

"Better put that away. Sarraf is squinting at you." I said, sitting next to her and smiling. She leaned back from the phone. He turned away.

"If he squints any harder, he's going to give himself a brain hemorrhoid." _Yeah, nerd, I know the word hemorrhoid._

"Brilliant. How do you come up with this stuff?" she muttered. Still, she didn't say anything else, and so I knew that round went to me.

"I saw you made homecoming ballot." I started. She said nothing. It was like she didn't realize how relevant that was. "Who do you think will win male junior attendant? My bet's on Cameron Ferria." A cute boy; I'd had him behind the bleachers. Not very….good. I didn't know what anyone saw in him, except that he was quarterback on the JV football team. I left him to the thirsty wolves in the school; he wasn't worth my time. "Hopefully they've dry cleaned the royalty robes since last year. I have it on good authority that Kara Darling left armpit sweat marks inside her robes. What if you had to wear her old robe?" Disgusting. "If she did that to her robe, I'd hate to see what she did to the tiara."

I had to hand it to Nora, the other peons that followed me around would have drank in everything I said. While she was clearly backwater and behind, she at least had the sense not to slob at my feet. An interesting challenge, which made coming for her so much more fun every time. Still- she owed me for my kindness. Junior Class Attendant, especially when it could have been me, was still a big deal.

"I nominated you." I smiled, giving her every ounce of…genuineness…I could pull off. "I was going to keep it a secret, but anonymity isn't my thing."

Nora finally snapped out of her daydream and looked at me, shocked. "You did _what?"_

I pouted, rubbing it in. "I know you're going through a rough period. I mean, first the whole amnesia thing and-"I looked around, hoping someone was listening "I know about the hallucinations. My dad told me. He said I should be extra nice to you. Only I wasn't sure how. I thought and I thought. And then I saw the announcement for this year's homecoming royalty. Obviously everyone wanted to nominate me, but I told my friends we should nominate you instead. I might have mentioned the hallucinations, and I might have exaggerated their severity. You gotta play dirty to win. Good news is, we got over two hundred signatures, more than any other nominee!"

I think the best part, outside of Nora's picture perfect stupid face, was knowing that every bit of what I'd said was true. No bluff, no shit talk. Straight. Truth. Over 200 people knew the rumors; there was written proof. I had never had this kind of a hand over her. And no one would dare accuse me of bullying, because one, I was Marcie Millar, and two, it got her a nomination. Nothing but a true act of kindness for a poor, disturbed friend.

"You made me your charity project?"

 _Oh that makes it sounds so much better!_ "Yes!" I squealed, unable to contain my delight.

She leaned forward, giving me a serious face. "Go to the office and retract it. I don't want my name on the ballot."

 _Bish what?_ I put my hands on my hips. "That would mess up everything. They've already printed the ballots. I peeked at the stack in the front office this morning. Do you want to be a paper waster? Think of the trees that sacrificed their lives for those reams of paper. And what's more, screw the paper. What about me? I went out of my way to do something nice, and you can't just reject that."

I struggled to keep a straight face while I spoke. Not that it mattered whether or not she actually made the ballot, but I truly wanted to see this through to the end.

Giving up, she sat back in her seat and let the dread wash over her.

I wished I could take a picture and save it forever.

 **I wanted to make the parallels between Hank's sinister evil and Marcie's petty evil. I truly tried to make them as unlikeable as I could. But, bright side, I'm caught up with the real chapters in the book now! Read and review!**


	25. Chapter 23

**Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it more than you will ever know.**

Chapter Twenty-Three

 **Scott's POV**

I sat in the barn debating if I should go remove the note from Nora's door. At first it seemed so smart, so simple, but then I felt stupid because it was incredibly mushy. Like…a note? On the door? Who did I think I was? Not to mention, while I was sitting here trying to be sentimental, Hank Millar was a frequent to the house and knowing my luck he'd probably walk to the door.

 _I've sat here for an hour thinking about this! Are you gonna get the note or not, asshole?_

I scowled at myself, and debated how silly it was that I'd fight me if I weren't me. _Still haven't taken it down!_

I knew it was because I wanted Nora to smile. _Dork._ Finally, the door opened, and the infamous red head herself popped in.

"Hello?"

I sat up to attention. "You still mad at me?" I asked. She wasn't paying attention to me, instead looking at the roof of the barn.

"Did you see any bats when you came in?" she asked.

I smiled. "Scared of bats, Grey?" With the overgrown, demon bat she dated I'd have thought she liked the color motif.

She rolled her eyes and came to sit next to me. "Quit calling me Grey. It makes me sound like I'm a boy. Like Dorian Gray."

"Dorian who?" She should have known I wouldn't get any of her book nerd references.

"Just think up something else. Plain old Nora works too, you know."

"Sure thing, Gumdrop."

She grimaced, making me smile. "I take that back. Let's stick with Grey."

I got to the point. "I came by to see if you have anything for me. Information on Hank would be good. Do you think he knows it was us spying on his building that night?"

She thought about it. "No. I think we're clear."

"That's good, real good." I replied, messing with the ring. It hadn't had any bad effects on me yet, which made me feel confident. "Maybe I can come out of hiding earlier than I thought." I said it with half-hopes, as I knew it couldn't be that easy. I wish it could have been. I found myself actually missing Lynn and her constant picking at me and my "goals". I missed my mother in a kind of…childish way. I missed having a bed, having the freedom to go anywhere, real food.

"Looks to me like you're out of hiding now. How did you know I'd find your note on the front door before Hank?"

It was a risky move and she noted it. Still, I'd been confident in my reasoning until I'd sat down in the barn and decided to run with it.

"Hank's at his dealership. And I know when you get home from school. Don't take this the wrong way, but I've been checking up on you now and then. I needed to know the best times to contact you. By the way, your social life is pathetic." School and home, every day. Lynn would die and go to heaven if I'd been like that.

"Speak for yourself."

I laughed, but then I looked at her. Her voice was lower, stressed out. She wasn't responding to my banter in the way she normally did. She didn't laugh with me. I nudged her shoulder.

"You seem down, Grey." I automatically felt really bad, and really wanted to make it better.

Nora sighed. "Marcie Millar nominated me for homecoming royalty. Voting happens this Friday."

 _Wow._ And here I was thinking there was something huge. I gave her a cool "college guy" handshake that I used to get at wrestling tournaments. "Well done, champ."

She looked at me with a disgusted face.

 _Roll it back there, Grey._ "Hey now. I thought girls loved this stuff. Shopping for a dress, getting your hair done, wearing the little crown thing on your head."

"Tiara," she muttered.

"Yeah, tiara. I knew that. So what's to hate?"

"I feel stupid having my name on a ballot with four other girls who are actually popular. I'm not going to win. I'm just going to look stupid. People are already asking if it was a misprint. And I don't have a date. I guess I could take Vee. Marcie will come up with a hundred lesbian jokes, but worse things could happen."

I had a feeling that this was more than the voting thing, especially with Marcie involved. After having all that publicity from coming back, and all the rumors that had to be swirling around her, she probably felt really uncomfortable. _How to make this better…_

I smiled. "Problem solved. Go with me."

She rolled her eyes, and I felt a little hurt. _What's wrong with going with me…_

"You don't even go to school."

"Is there a rule about that? Girls at my old school in Portland were always dragging their college boyfriends back to dances."

"There's not a rule per se."

Was she trying to stop me from going? Was she scared that I might get busted?  
"If you're worried about the Black Hand, last time I checked, Nephilim dictators don't consider human high school dances a top priority. He'll never know I was there."

Nora took that image and began to laugh. I relaxed at it.

"You laugh, but you haven't seen me in a tux. Or maybe you don't like broad-shouldered guys with muscular chests and washboard abs?"

Nora cut her eyes at me and bit her lip to stop laughing. It was actually kind of sexy.

"Quit intimidating me. You're starting to make this sound like a role reversal of Beauty and the Beast. We all know you're beautiful, Scott."

I'd forgotten that Grey had an image issue. I squeezed her knee so she'd know I was genuine. "You'll never hear me admit this again, so listen up. You look good, Grey. On a scale from one to ten, you're definitely in the top half."

Nora had a classical beauty about her; like the sexy librarian with the untouchable aura of class around her. Not everybody was going to be for her; you had to be right.

"Gee, thanks."

"You're not the type of girl I would have chased after when I was in Portland, but I'm not the same guy I was back then either. You're a little too good for me, and let's face it, a little too smart." Portland Scott was all into "busty babes" and tight skirts. Portland Scott was a douche for more than one reason.

"You've got street smarts," she tried.

"Stop interrupting. You're going to make me lose my place."

Nora smirked. "You've got this speech memorized."

I smirked back. _No I haven't sat in my cave thinking about this, not at all. Nope….._

"I've got a lot of time on my hands. As I was saying—hell, I forgot where I was."

"You were telling me I can rest assured that I'm better looking than half the girls at my school."

"That was a figure of speech. If you want to get technical, you're better-looking than ninety percent. Give or take." The girls at her school were kind of basic, if I was being honest. Too busy trying to look like the next girl.

She placed her hand over her heart. "I'm speechless."

I got down on one knee. "Yes, Nora. Yes, I'll go to the homecoming dance with you."

She snorted at me. "You are so full of yourself. I never asked."

 _You may as well have._ "See? Too smart. Anyway, what's the big deal? You need a date, and while I might not be your number one choice, I'll do."

She looked away, and I felt a tiny pang of pain in my heart. She knew about him. She had to be remembering him. I shook it off. I wasn't trying to go there with Grey, anyway. Couldn't. She turned back, looked me in the face. I actually felt exposed for my thoughts. She smiled and jabbed me in the shoulder.

"Okay, okay. It's a date. But you'd better not be exaggerating about how fine you look in a tux."

I lit up inside. I was going to be doing something _normal_ for once. Even something as inane as a dance was better than staying on the run. And I was going with Nora, who I'd get to see in a dress, actually lighting up the space…

She'd walked out when I realized that I'd have to get a tux…and shoes…and a trim…

* * *

 **Marcie's POV**

I pulled into the Silk Garden parking lot and parked. I had to send the address to the guys that my dad had following me around. He was awfully determined to have me followed, and I didn't know if he thought Nora would try something or what but he seemed to think I was in danger. It was irritating, but I went with it because whatever. This time he also told me to make sure that I could the necklace to him. I had to hand it to one of the goons who'd come in and take it from me. I was kind of nervous. I got out of the car and walked inside. Nora was sitting outside, and I walked toward her.

"Sorry I'm late. My dog didn't want me to leave."

"Your dog?"

"Boomer. Dogs are people, too." Boomer was the best and truest friend I'd had. I loved that dog, and I didn't use the word 'love' for anything or anybody else. He didn't ask questions, he gave good cuddles, and he was completely dependent upon me.

"No worries. I already looked around inside. Picked out my dress, too. We can make this real quick, and you can get back to Boomer."

My face dropped. She couldn't be trying to make this quick. _I don't like you either but I have to make this drop so just fucking go with it, okay?_ "What about my input? You said you valued my opinion."

She turned away. "Yeah, about that. I had every intention of waiting for you, but then I saw the dress. It spoke to me."

"Really?" Was she serious?

"Yes, Marcie. The heavens opened and angels sang 'Hallelujah'."

 _Whatever._ "Show me the dress," I demanded. "You realize you have a warm skin tone right? The wrong color is going to wash you out."

Giving up, she walked inside. She actually had the nerve to look excited when she pulled out this ugly green and blue tartan dress.

 _How old are you, 13?_ "Ew. Tartan? Too schoolgirl." Now I may have hated Nora, but someone as nice as me couldn't let her walk out of this building looking like that.

She looked hurt. _Ha!_ "Well it's the one I want."

I scanned her over, estimating her size. I picked one smaller and handed it to her. "Maybe it'll look better on, but I don't think I'll change my mind."

She took the dress and practically skipped to the changing room. She really thought that dress was going to fit. While she messed around in there, I went around looking for another dress. I found a really nice red one, and considered it. It would actually look really nice on her, and while I didn't really care if she looked nice or not, how cool would it be for me to say that I dressed her for homecoming. Couldn't have her looking stupid in my name. Sides…part of me felt bad about the fact that I was robbing her. Losing a necklace, but gaining a pretty dress. Sounded like a fair deal to me.

"Marcie?"

There it was.

"Mmm?" I responded, smiling.

"Wrong size," she said, holding out the dress. _Boy I'm good._

"Too big?" I asked, smiling. Her fist clenched on the hanger.

"A size six will do, thank you very much."

"Oh. Too _small."_

Stopping myself from laughing, I grabbed the size six tartan and the hot red dress and handed it to her.

"Not to sway the vote, but I think red is the way to go. More glam."

While she tried it on, I waited near the door.

Soon, a man walked in, and said some words to the saleslady. Her eyes glazed over, and she walked in the back. He stomped quickly to me.

"Where is it?" he murmured. I was intimidated by his size, but I quickly came to and rushed to Nora's purse to search through it.

"Just give it here!" he growled. I snatched the purse and tossed it at him. He quickly shuffled out, and I sat down in shock. The saleslady walked back in like nothing happened. It all happened so quickly that I questioned if it happened at all or if I'd imagined it.

 **Read and review! And yes, Patch's POV is coming!**


	26. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

 **Patch's POV**

I snuck through the back of the dress store. I'd wanted to catch Nora off guard, so I didn't expect that I'd be the one thrown off by Marcie in the front lounge. I made sure she couldn't see me, but I paused for a moment.

 _What is she doing here?_

Marcie sat there, attempting to look nonchalant, waiting. The saleslady looked bored, shaking her head as if to wake herself up. I looked toward the dressing rooms. My face unintentionally fell into a smug grin. I let go of my suspicion of Marcie, knowing I could just ask Nora about it. I made my way into the dressing room.

Nora was at herself in the mirror, twirling around and hugging herself in the dress that she'd chosen. _Aww, I missed it._ I didn't need to see her naked anyway…Marcie would be suspicious if she heard anything other dresses shifting, as well as not seeing Nora for a couple hours.

 _Stop it._

"I could get you to smile like that, and without sales tax."

Nora spun around like she was going to fight me or something. I smiled at her. She flushed, caught in her happy place. "I could make all kinds of pervert jokes right now," she sputtered.

"I could tell you how much I like you in that dress." Beautiful, long legs coming down, décolletage very much present, hair flowing down. Yes, I liked that dress very much. It looked like something she only needed to wear for me. _Very…nice._

"How did you get in?"

"I move in mysterious ways."

"God moves in mysterious ways. You move like lightning- here one moment, gone the next." Like lightning. I liked that. "How long have you been standing there?" She began to look mortified. I must have missed a bad try, so I suppose it was good I didn't walk in any earlier.

"I would have knocked, but I didn't want to linger outside and risk Marcie. Hank can't know you and I are back in business. I have news. I reached out to Dabria. She's agreed to help us run interference on Hank, but first I need to come clean. Dabria is more than an old acquaintance. We knew each other before I fell. It was a…relationship of convenience, but not too long ago, she caused you a fair share of inconvenience." I paused, before finishing. "Which is a nice way of saying she tried to kill you."

Nora's face froze as she took my words in.

"She's over her jealousy, but I wanted you to know."

"Well, now I know." Nora answered sarcastically. "How do we know she's not going to play assassin again?"

"I took out an insurance policy."

"Sounds vague."

"Have a little faith."

"What does she look like?" she demanded, pouting and turning away. I smiled. _Oh, Angel._

"Stringy, unwashed hair, doughy around the middle, unibrow. Satisfied?"

Her pout lifted more. "Have you met with her in person yet?"

"Won't be necessary. What I want from her isn't complicated. Before she fell, Dabria was an angel of death and could see the future. She claims she still has the gift and makes decent money at it from, believe it or not, her Nephilim clients."

Nora thought about it. "She's going to keep her ear to ground. She's going to eavesdrop on her clients and see what pops up on Hank."

"Good work, Angel."

"How does Dabria expect to be paid?"

"Let me handle that."

She put her hands on her hips. "Wrong answer, Patch."

"Dabria has no interest in me anymore. She's motivated by cold, hard cash." She didn't look like she believed me, so I moved forward and caressed her neck. "And I'm not interested in her anymore. I've set my eyes elsewhere."

She flushed, and pulled away. "Can she be trusted?"

"I'm the one who ripped her wings out when she fell. I have one of her feathers for safekeeping, and she knows it. Unless she wants to spend the rest of eternity keeping Rixon company, she's going to be motivated to stay on my good side."

I quickly kissed her on the lips, knowing I had to move. "I can't stay long. I'm working a few other leads, and I'll get back to you if they pan out. Will you be home tonight?" I doubted she had other places to be, as Nora had no real social life, but I didn't want to assume.

She looked concerned. "Yes, but aren't you worried about Hank? These days, he's about as permanent in my house as a light fixture."

"I can work around him." I was pretty proud of my trick. "I'll be coming in through your dreams."

Nora looked as if she was waiting for me to finish a joke. "Is this a joke?"

"For it to work, you have to be open to the idea. We're off to a promising start." I ended sarcastically. Nora still looked like she didn't get it.

"How does it work?"

"You dream, and I insert myself into it. Don't try to block me, and we'll be good to go."

Nora nodded, seeming accepting of my answer.

"One last thing. I have it on good authority that Hank knows Scott is in town. I wouldn't think twice about it if he were caught," I said, picking at my fingernails nonchalantly, "but I know he means something to you. Tell him to keep his head down. Hank doesn't think highly of deserters."

Nora darkly looked away, and I felt a little bad for my attitude.

We both looked up as we heard Marcie snapping back at someone, and back at each other.

"Does Marcie know what her dad really is?"

 _Her dad._ The irony. "Marcie lives in a bubble, but Hank keeps threatening to pop it." I looked her up and down, realizing she was still in that delicious dress. "What's the occasion?"

Nora twirled for me. "Homecoming. Like?"

 _Angel I more than like it, but-_ "Last I heard, homecoming requires a date." And I'd heard nothing about it.

"About that," she said, pulling at her fingers. "I'm sort of…going with Scott."

My eyes thinned at the thought.

"We both figure a high school dance is the last place Hank will be patrolling."

Nowhere was the last place Hank would be patrolling. I tried to smile, but it was hard. Did I feel bad about being mean earlier? "I take that back. If Hank wants to shoot Scott, he has my blessing."

Nora rolled her eyes. "We're just friends."

Said the same woman who wanted to kill Dabria with a look a couple minutes ago. It was cute. I tipped her chin up to kiss her.

"Keep it that way." I put on my glasses. "Don't tell Scott I didn't warn him. I have to roll, but I'll be in touch."

Part of me wanted her to pull me back in, so I could do something about that dress, but then I shook it off and continued on my way.

* * *

 **Marcie's POV**

I was looking through the racks for a dress that I might like. I'd shopped at snazzier places than this, but I was bored waiting for Nora (how hard was it to try on a dress? She was probably in there talking to her cow of a best friend). I also had residual nerves from what had just happened. Literally, 10 seconds and it was over. If I tried just hard enough, I might be able to forget that it happened. Finally, she decided to make her way out, but she looked confused.

"Have you seen my handbag?"

My heart dropped, then started pounding. I gathered myself. "You took it into the dressing room with you."

The saleslady came over. "Was it a brown leather saddlebag?"

 _WHY IS THIS WOMAN TALKING?_

"Yes."

"I just saw a man leaving the store with it. He came in without saying a word, and I assumed he was your father. In fact, I could have sworn he said he was…but maybe I imagined the whole thing. The whole moment felt so strange. My head feels fuzzy. I can't explain it."

Considering I was right there and only bits of that happened, that creepy guy must have put something into the lady's head.

"He had gray hair and was wearing an argyle sweater…"

"Which way did he go?" Nora snapped. She must have been getting as annoyed as I was at her bumbling.

"Out the front doors, heading toward the parking lot."

Nora booked it for the doors, and I ran out behind her.

"Do you think this is a good idea? I mean, what if he has a gun? What if he's mentally unstable?" He was a goon for my dad, so I truly didn't think that this was something that she wanted to get into.

"What kind of man steals a purse from under a dressing room door?" Nora shouted.

"Maybe he was desperate. Maybe he needed cash."

"Then he should have taken your bag!"

Geez. "Everyone knows Silk Garden is posh. He probably figured he'd score big no matter which bag he grabbed." I rationalized, trying to calm her down. She was making a scene and I was NOT trying to get caught up in anything else.

Nora continued running into the parking lot, and I ran after her. We stopped when a sedan pulled out of a parking space, and the car revved right towards us. I moved, but Nora was still stupidly looking into the face of the car.

"Move, you idiot!" I shouted, yanking her out of the way. As we jumped it drove off into the night.

"Did you see what kind of car it was?" I asked sarcastically, since she wanted to stare into the car bumper so badly.

"An Audi A6. I got a partial on the license plate."

 _Well._ "Not bad, tiger."

Nora turned to me with a crazy look. "Not bad? He got away with my handbag! Don't you find it a little odd that a guy who drives a flashy Audi needs to steal handbags? My handbag in particular?"

"Was it designer?"

"Try Target!"

Okay, well, I wasn't about to argue over a stupid Target handbag. There was likely nothing of true value in it other than what my father was looking for. "Well, that was exciting. What now? Drop it and get back to shopping?"

"I'm calling the police."

 _Oh my god-_

 _You're being ridiculous-_

 _It's just a stupid bag-_

 _It was ugly too-_

* * *

 **Detective Basso's POV**

I rolled up to the Silk Garden, on call for a robbery. I walked into the store, and when I saw Nora Grey (and Marcie Millar!) I couldn't believe it. I actually had to cover my mouth to stop from smiling. What else had Danger-Prone Nora gotten into this time?

She didn't bother to greet me, as I could tell she was just-so-happy to see me.

"Someone stole my handbag."

"Walk me through this."

"I went into the fitting room to try on homecoming dresses. When I finished, I noticed my handbag wasn't on the floor where I'd left it. I came out, and the saleslady told me she'd seen a man running off with it."

"He had gray hair and an argyle sweater," the saleslady added.

"Any credit cards in the purse?"

"No."

"Cash?"

"No."

"Total value of missing items?"

"Seventy-five dollars."

It was like the girl enjoyed calling my phone to tell me about stu…nevermind. I understood the world she was in could cause some paranoia, but honestly…

 _Right._ "I'll file a report, but there's not a lot we can do. Best-case scenario, the guy ditches the bag and someone turns it in. Worst case, you buy yourself a new bag."

I left as she stood there gaping at me. I wanted to laugh so badly.

* * *

 **Marcie's POV**

Thirty minutes of Nora pacing in front of the store like a hungry lion, and finally the police showed up. She stormed up to them and started talking about that dumb bag. Seventy-five dollars total missing. I could look in couches for that. They finally told her to suck it up, and get a new bag.

I linked my arm through hers while she stood with a gaping, stupid face. "Look on the bright side. You lost a cheap bag, but you're getting a swanky new dress." I handed her the bag. "It's all taken care of. You can thank me later."

I sauntered toward my car, knowing that my job had been perfectly done. Dress bought, bag stolen, not in prison. Job well done, indeed.

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	27. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

 **Patch's POV**

I laid down in my bed. I felt nothing, so it wasn't like I could say it was "cozy", or "warm", or "pleasant". However, what I did feel was how weird it was to actually be in bed. I rarely slept. When I did, it was usually on the couch because it wasn't like I could tell the difference, and it was when I really needed to shut my eyes. This time, I was doing it on purpose. I guess I could say I was pretending that this was a normal situation. It wasn't. It shouldn't have been distracting me as a curiosity as much as it was, because even in going to sleep I had a mission in mind.

I closed my eyes, and began to reach out to Nora's mind. It was late, so she had to be asleep. I'd been working on this trick consistently since Nora had went missing. I never wanted to be unable to contact her again. Whatever Hank was using to stop me from seeing her when she was missing…it was the only reason I hadn't found her. I needed to be able to break through that, so that I'd be able to keep her safe and updated.

I found myself in a grayish-fog, and it slowly began to form solid shapes. Mirror. Window. Closet. Bed. Finally, though the room was still in a greyscale, I could see everything clearly, including Nora lying in bed. She was smiling, as if something was pleasant.

 _Now I could be really sweet and wake her up with a kiss…. Or…._

I yanked the blankets right off of her.

Nora shot up, confused. I threw her blankets to the side. Her eyes widened with "why would you do that" expression, and it was so adorable.

"Sweet dreams?"

She ignored me, looking around. "Is this real? Or a dream?"

"Dream."

She laughed. "Wow. Could've fooled me. It's so _real."_

"Most dreams are. It isn't until you wake up that you see all the plot holes."

"Talk me through this."

"I'm in the landscape of your dream. Imagine that your subconscious and mine walked through a door you created in your mind. We're in the room together, but it's not a physical place. The room is imagined, but our thoughts aren't. You decided the setting and the clothes you're wearing, and you decide everything you say. But since I'm actually in the dream with you, as opposed to a version of myself that you dreamed up, the things I say and do aren't the work of your imagination. I control those things."

A pretty good explanation, if I could say so myself. I'd spent hours studying myself and what I was doing. Nora only nodded. "Are we safe here?"

"If you're asking if Hank will spy on us, no, most likely not."

"But if you can do this, what's stopping him from doing it? I know he's Nephilim, and unless I'm way off here, it seems like fallen angels and Nephilim have a lot of the same powers."

 _Unfortunately._ "Until I tried invading your dreams a few months ago, I didn't know much about how the process works. I've since learned it requires a strong connection between both subjects. I also know the dreaming subject has to be deep under. The timing can get tricky and requires patience. If you invade too early, the subject will wake up. If two angels, or Nephilim, or any combination of the two, invade a dream at the same time, pushing and pulling with their own agendas, the dreamer is far more likely to wake up. Whether or not you like it, Hank has a strong connection to you. But if he hasn't tried invading your dreams yet, I don't think he'll start this late in the game."

"How did you learn all of this?"

"Trial and error." I thought about whether I should tell her the truth. I mean, I _should,_ but I didn't know how to word it so that she wouldn't be frustrated. I finally had to spit out that I'd gotten help from Dabria, though I tried to soften it with reason. It did not work.

Nora's face twisted after I told her. "So you met her in person after all?" she said, bitingly.

"We ran into each other today, and while I had her, I decided to get to the bottom of a few questions that have been weighing on my mind. I've been looking for a way to communicate with you undetected, and I wasn't going to waste the opportunity that she might provide answers."

'Ran into each other' was more of her sneaking around my own private investigations and claiming that 'she knew I'd need her'. For some reason, no matter how many times we had this same talk, she kept trying to come around and be nosy.

"Why did she track you down?"

She didn't say, and it's not important. We got what we wanted, and that's what I care about. We now have a private form of communication."

"Did she still look doughy around the middle?"

 _Oh my god._ I rolled my eyes. She was being petty at this point.

"Has she been to your studio?"

"This is starting to feel like Twenty Questions, Angel."

"In other words, she has."

I had to remind myself that I was much older than Nora, and that her maturity was still….blossoming. "No, she hasn't. Can we be done talking about Dabria?"

"When do I get to meet her?"

I had to turn away to scratch my head, trying not to laugh. They'd had a run in with each other before, and it was very serious, yet I couldn't shake the image of Nora putting her dukes up in front of Dabria. "Probably not a good idea."

"What's that supposed to mean? You don't think I can handle myself, do you? Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

Still holding in the smile. "I think Dabria is a narcissist and an egomaniac. Best to stay away."

"Maybe you should take your own advice!"

Nora tried to roll away dramatically, but I caught her arm and brought her forehead-to-forehead with mine, as well as lacing my fingers through hers.

"What do I have to do to convince you I'm using Dabria for one thing, and one thing only: to break down Hank, piece by piece if I have to, and make him pay for everything he's done to the hurt the girl I love?"

Nora was loosening up, I could tell. "I don't trust Dabria."

I sighed. "Finally something we agree on."

"I don't think we should use her, even if she can get to Hank's inner circle faster than you or me."

 _If only it were that simple._ "If we had more time, or another option, I'd jump on it. But for now, she's our best chance. She won't double cross me. She's too smart. She'll take the cash I'm offering and walk away, even if it hurts her pride."

"I don't like it," Nora said, snuggling closer, "but I trust you."

I was so relieved that I kissed her. We sat there for a few moments, before she spoke again.

"Something strange happened tonight. Someone stole my handbag from the dressing room at Silk Garden."

I frowned. "This happened after I left?"

"Either that, or right before you came."

It had to have been, because I would have sensed something like that happening if I were there. "Did you see who took it?"

"No, but the saleslady said he was male and old enough to be my father. She let him stroll right out with it, but I think he may have mind-tricked her. Do you think it's a coincidence that an immortal stole my handbag?"

 _What's a coincidence at this point?_ "I don't think anything is a coincidence. What did Marcie see?"

"Apparently nothing, even though the shop was practically empty." She looked at my expression, which must have been a stern one. "You think Marcie was involved, don't you?"

"Hard to believe she didn't see something." I thought back to how Marcie was sitting in the store. Nonchalant…almost to a fault. Hiding nerves. At the time, I just put it off as how she looked, just because she wasn't overly bright. But now, I could see that it seemed suspicious. Even that she was on the trip was suspicious. "It's starting to feel like the whole night was a setup. When you went into the dressing room, she could have placed a call, letting the thief know it was safe to come in. She could have seen your bag under the drape, and walked him through step by step." I'd even go so far as to say Nora's bag never made it into the dressing room- she may have just thought she brought it by habit.

"Why would she want my bag? Unless—she thought that I was carrying the necklace that Hank wants. He's roped her into this. She was playing fetch for him."

"He's not beneath putting his daughter in harm's way. He proved that with you."

"Are you still convinced Marcie doesn't know what Hank really is?"

At this point, I was questioning it. Marcie likely didn't know her father was immortal, but she couldn't be missing the classic mob boss signs that were prevalent in her life.

"She doesn't know. Not yet. Hank could have lied to her about why he needed the necklace. He could have told her it belongs to him, and she wouldn't ask questions. Marcie isn't the type to ask questions. If she sees a target, she turns into a pit bull."

Nora nodded in assent. "There's one more thing. I got a look at the car before the thief drove away. It was an Audi A6."

 _No good…_ "Hank's right-hand man, a Nephil named Blakely, drives an Audi." If Blakely was getting involved, it meant Hank was getting skittish. He normally would have any goon do his dirty work, but for him to send someone so close…something was up. I didn't know if that was good or bad, only that we were running low on time.

"I'm starting to get a little freaked out," Nora admitted. "He obviously thinks he can use the necklace to force the archangel to talk. What does he need her to tell him? What does she know that he'd risk the retaliation of the archangels for?"

"And this close to Cheshvan…" What, indeed. Definitely on a time crunch. Desperation? The archangel would be forced to tell him the truth, no matter what but…that also meant bringing down the full destruction of the archangels, and potential annihilation. Unless he thought he had something to defeat them? Measure of power?

"We could try to break the archangel out. That way even if Hank gets a necklace, he won't have an archangel."

"I'd thought of that, but we're facing two big problems. First, the archangel trusts me even less than Hank, and if she sees me anywhere near her cage, she's going to make a lot of racket. Second, Hank's warehouse is crawling with his men. I'd need my own army of fallen angels to go against them, and I'm going to have a hard time talking fallen angels into helping me rescue an archangel."

I also wondered why the archangels themselves hadn't simply come down and broken her out… It made me think there was an ulterior motive to them leaving her there. Maybe they wanted her to spy, despite making her a casualty. They tended not to care about casualties of war. I darkened at the thought.

Nora went silent as well, and so we just sat there. I began to look around the room, noting the longer, red dress on the closet door. "What happened to the other dress?" She turned to look at it and sighed.

"Marcie thought I'd look better in red."

"What do you think?"

"I think Marcie and Dabria would be instant friends."

I laughed at the thought. Dabria was thousands of times more intelligent than Marcie, but seeing them in a battle to out-petty one another would be a sight to see. "Do you want my opinion?"

"Might as well, since everyone else seems to have weighed in."

I leaned back onto my elbows. "Try it on." I felt like a lascivious old man the way I waited to see her strip down.

"It's probably a little snug. Marcie tends to buy down when it comes to sizing."

If she thought I was going to get upset, she was sorely mistaken.

"It has a slit up the thigh."

 _Even better._

She went into the closet to dress, and I had to repress my disappointment. I waited while she changed, and then she stepped into the light. "Zip it up?"

I couldn't move.

I don't think she realized how sexy she looked.

And she wasn't even trying.

The mixture of the light from her closet and the shadows of the room contoured her face and body in a mysterious way, somehow showing everything and revealing nothing at the same time. Her exposed leg was begging me to come over and bow to it, and kiss my way up. The cut at her décolletage didn't go far down, but the dress hung off her shoulder in a way that one bite from me could have pulled half of it down. But it wouldn't have fallen all the way off. Oh no. Not the way it clung to her waist and hips. And then her hair…her wild hair, falling down, I could only imagine it falling around my face as -

 _Okay let's stop right there, because she does not want to know how needy you are right now._

"I'm going to have a hard time sending you off with Scott in that dress. Just a heads up: if you come home and the dress looks even slightly tampered with, I will track Scott down and when I find him, it won't be pretty."

I suddenly found myself jealous at the thought of him going with her. Not even just because she was in that dress (although, I'd kill to be next to her in that dress, to dance, and afterwards when-) but because it seemed so…normal. A regular experience. I'd been to plenty of balls in my existence on Earth, but never with her, and never under normal circumstances. It would have been something nice to do with Nora. Something normal for her, where she didn't have to worry about dying or Nephilim or the world ending.

"I'll relay the message." She said.

"If you tell me where he's hiding I'll relay it myself."

Nora smirked. "Something tells me your message would be a lot more direct."

"Let's just say he'd get the point."

I grabbed her arm and swirled her to me, so she'd understand just how serious I was, but as I leaned in to kiss her something went wrong. The edges of the dream began to collapse in, and I could sense another immortal presence. I immediately began to fear about Hank, but then I sensed that it was a 'benign' presence, if it could be called that.

"What's happening?" Nora asked, panicked.

"It's the half-breed." Now, I had only been slightly joking about him being around, but if he was snooping around her house it was a wholly different issue. I heard knocking, and his faint voice calling to Nora.

"Scott?"

"He's knocking at your bedroom window. Any second now, you're going to wake up. Is this the first time he's come prowling around at night?"

 _Please say no so I have a reason to beat his ass._

Nora refused to look me in the eye, and I was going to confront her, but then the dream ended.

"We'll finish this tomorrow!" she cried.

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	28. Chapter 26

**Short chapter. Not gonna lie, I've been so busy and so unmotivated (work and mental health- U.S. unpaid internships- always take a paid internship kids!)...and then I saw a guest post this morning with a sad face in it and I just...felt so sh**ty. Like...awful. I realized that I'd just given up and I hadn't even told you guys. What if something had happened to me and yall didn't know? Or vice versa? It all just hit me like a rock. So I woke up early this morning and wrote a really quick chapter. And I'm taking the book with me to work- I catch four buses a day so I've got plenty of time to read XD so...yeah. I'm sorry, guys.**

Chapter Twenty-Six

 **Scott POV**

"Rise and shine," I called as I shut the window behind me.

Nora groaned. I tried to block that part of my mind suggesting what other type of situation we could be in right now. "Scott, you have to stop this. I have school first thing tomorrow. Plus I was in the middle of a really good dream."

 _Me too! You'll never guess!_

"About me?" I responded, giving her a grade-Scott smile.

"This better be good."

"Better than good. I got a gig playing bass for a band called Serpentine. We're opening at the Devil's Handbag next weekend. Band members get two free tickets, and you're one of the lucky recipients."

 _Ta-da!_ I had to admit, I was overly excited when I laid those tickets down in front of her. But instead of being as excited as I was, Nora was only worried.

"Are you crazy? You can't be in a band! You're supposed to be hiding from Hank. Going to the dance with me is one thing, but this is taking things too far."

I was kind of pissed. I'd been living under a literal rock for months, hiding, growing depressed….becoming a part of this band today was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time, and she was being a stick in the mud about it.

"I thought you'd be happy for me, Grey. I've spent the past couple months hiding. Now I'm living in a cave and scavenging for food, which is getting harder and harder to find with winter coming. I have to force myself into the ocean three times a week for a bath, and I spend the rest of the day shivering by the fire. I have no TV, no cell. I'm completely cut off."

She had no idea what it was like- well no, I couldn't even say that. If she'd had her memory, she'd know exactly what it was like to be cut off. So I didn't know why she was being such a prude. It was terrible out there. I couldn't live like that anymore, not when there was music, warmth, food and shelter waiting for me.

"You want the truth? I'm sick of hiding. Living on the run isn't living. I might as well be dead." She didn't know how many times I had considered it. I stroked the ring around my finger, feeling its power. "I'm glad you talked me into wearing this again. I haven't felt this alive in months. If Hank tries anything, he's going to be in for a big surprise. My powers have intensified."

Nora awkwardly kicked away from her bed to stand up in front of me. "Scott, Hank knows you're in town. He's got his men searching for you. You have to stay hidden until- Cheshvan at least."

 _Cheshvan, Cheshvan, Cheshvan. Fuck it. Fuck them._ "I keep telling myself that, but what if he's not? What if he's forgotten about me and all this is for nothing?" It was a bland excuse, I know, but I wanted to believe it so badly. I wanted more than anything to be done with all of this, to have some type of life again.

"I _know_ he's looking for you." Nora countered.

"Did you hear him say it?" I rebuffed.

"Something like that." She murmured. Full of shit. "A reliable source told me."

 _Sure._ I shook my head. I was heavily disappointed. "You're trying to scare me. I appreciate the gesture but I've made up my mind. I've thought this over, and whatever happens, I can face it. A few months of freedom is better than a lifetime in prison."

I wanted to be brave. I'd always been a coward, skulking around the edges. It was time for me to do something bigger. I never knew what my motivation would be, but I realized that boredom and imprisonment do more to rouse a man than anything I'd ever tried.

Nora kept pushing. "You can't let Hank find you. If he does, he'll put you in one of his reinforced prisons. He'll torture you. You have to ride this out a little longer. Please? Just a few more weeks?"

 _Just a few more wee- man!_ "Screw it. I'm out of here. I'm playing at the Devil's Handbag whether you come or not." Part of me still wanted her to come, to come see me sing, to come see me be free. So I was leaving the tickets with her.

"Scott," she tried. "You said the Black Hand's ring connects you to him. Is there any way it's drawing you closer to him? Maybe the ring does more than give you heightened powers. Maybe it's some kind of- beacon."

 _A honing beacon as a ring? Now you're being dumb, Grey._ "The Black Hand isn't going to catch me." Buddha always said that "what you think, you become". I wasn't going to let her negativity ruin this. Ruin me.

"You're wrong. And if you keep up that attitude, he's going to catch you sooner than you think."

She tried to reach for me, but I pulled away. I practically jumped through the window and slammed it behind me.

So much for moral support. I didn't want to be disappointed as I was, but I was. I didn't want to let the suspicion creep inside, ruining this for me. I didn't want to be careful. I wanted to be free.

I found myself back down at the cave, and looking at my little set up. For months it had been home, representative of me learning how to stick it out in the wild, caring for myself, maturing, becoming stronger. Staying one step ahead of my enemies.

Now it just represented suffering, loneliness, anger and cold. I hated it.

I kicked my pan into the far side of the cave, shattering it into the wall and watching it crack in half.

Yeah, I was done here.

I made my way to the Devil's Handbag. Maybe- no, I _would and could_ \- convince one of the band members to let me sleep over their place.

But first, I needed a new phone. New shoes. I needed new everything. With new conviction, I began running.

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	29. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

 **Dante's POV**

Hank- _Barnabas-_ walked into the seer's home, making sure no one was following him. I suppose that the seer could have told him that I was following him, but I'd been paying enough attention and doing enough research that I could've guessed without a seer what she was going to tell him. So I (maybe arrogantly so) was perfectly comfortable with my spying.

He was going to fall.

The irony was delicious, really. The idea of a Nephil falling from grace, just like those who were at fault for our existence. It wasn't supposed to happen at all, but somehow he was going to be the next in a line of our fallen leaders. Now what I didn't know was who he planned on taking the mantle after he was gone. It would be stupid of me to think that he would hand it to me, although it would make perfect sense.

 _I take you everywhere, I make you save the life of and mind-erase my bastard child, I keep you around to know just enough of my secret plans that aren't as great as I think, even with my amazing magical potions, but no Dante I don't think you should lead my empire and make it better!_

I rolled my eyes at the thought. Barnabas' empire was not as well built as he thought, if it was about to crumble at something that literally shouldn't have been possible. Still, all I had to do was bide my time. I would come of use to him again, and I would know more. I thought back to that whole debacle with the girl and that hospital trip and chuckled. He almost lost his entire plan because she was willing to die for her own cause, and I'd dare even say that made her stronger than him. Shit had been a good plan, too. Threw me for a loop, and I considered myself very well planned. She'd healed well, due to her slight Nephilim blood….

When it hit me I almost fainted.

A child.

 _That child._

 _OF COURSE!_ I took off into the night.

It was obvious. The only one he could have him replace him would be the one that was about to take down the second of her own predecessors.

He was desperate, which meant whatever was about to happen, it was getting close. I didn't know if I was enraged or elated.

* * *

 **Hank's POV**

Nora stared at me, her eyes torn between distrust and worry.

"There's been an accident," I told her.

She said nothing, and I struggled to keep my calm.

"Your mom fell down the stairs. She was wearing heels and lost her balance. She has a concussion."

For a moment, her entire face changed. I wondered if this would how she looked when she'd found out about Harrison- no, it didn't show enough pain. I knew what that felt like. I remembered.

"How bad is it?" she whimpered.

"When I left the hospital, they couldn't tell me anything. I came straight here to get you. I've already signed you out with the attendance secretary. I'll drive you to the hospital."

Surprisingly, she went along with it very nicely. I wasn't even mind-tricking her. It was almost sad that her previous experience with her father- with Harrison- made this so simple with her mother. As she stepped in the car, she made this pained cry. I almost felt bad for her, and I reached out to squeeze her shoulder, but I stopped myself. I knew why we were here, and it wasn't to have a bonding moment with her.

 _Isn't it? Shared blood is pretty bonding!_

I had to quiet my bitter thoughts. I needed to keep in character. The mission was too serious.

And then she stopped moving and didn't sit in the car.

"I want to call the hospital."

 _Don't you start-_ "We're on our way there now. In ten minutes you can talk to her in person."

"Excuse me if I'm a little worried, but this is my mom we're talking about." She sounded unmoved. It was one of those moments where half of me was extremely pissed that she couldn't just go with the plan, but the other half was proud that she had enough sense (without any real memory) to know not to trust me. Excellent intuition. But right now, it was annoying as shit.

I handed her the phone and listened to her ask whether or not Blythe was in the hospital. Blythe was very much in the hospital; I made sure to be thorough. It was unfortunate that Blythe had to fall the way she did, but all I did was make her a little dizzy. She may be annoying, but I considered humans an unnecessary situation to avoid if I possibly could. I wouldn't have actually pushed her- she just was collateral in the bigger picture.

The bigger picture. I couldn't help but sound morose while I explained to Nora how I 'found' Blythe at the bottom of the stairs. The bigger picture involved….involved a _descendant._ Because I wouldn't live long enough to see my plans come to fruition. Because somewhere, _somehow,_ I wouldn't be able to succeed. Because my….my _descendant_ was working with a fallen angel, somehow, to bring me down. The empire I'd been forced to work for, that I'd put my sweat, blood and tears into, that I'd created into something bigger than me and beautiful, GONE.

Because of a fucking _descendant_ that wouldn't _get in the fucking car._

' _Get into the car,'_ I commanded her. I didn't have time for this. Part of me would have rather let the entire creation die, to find a way to have any and every Nephil end it all, rather than hand it all over. Nora looked at me, trying to subconsciously refuse me. I kept repeating it.

 _Get into the car Get into the car Getintothecargetintothecargetintothecar….._

She gave me a bewildered look, and I looked at her nonchalantly. She finally sat down and while we were driving, I was looking, waiting… I didn't see who I was looking for.

 _Damn it, Materrazzi! Where are you?!_

I turned to Nora, and when she turned to look at me I began to speak. "I want you to know she's in the best hands. I requested that Dr. Howlett oversee her care. Dr. Howlett and I were roommates at the University of Maine before he went on to Johns Hopkins."

I thought that this would be comforting, as most people tended to move aside at the name of the school. However, she only looked at me more suspiciously. _Fuck!_ My tension and anxiety were about to bleed out of me, when I finally saw who I was looking for.

* * *

 **Dante's POV**

"Well guys, he did say to do the worst we could so that we'd be believable, right? That she had to see everything she needed to." I suggested, smiling.

"Uh boss, I think he meant to do the whole mind-trick thing. He only said a minor crash was necessary."

I turned around and smiled.

The two were brawn that I'd hired to be on my own team. They were more devoted to me than Hank, but that didn't mean they weren't still afraid of him. I'd been working on that.

"I always tell him that I like to be thorough, and put some flair on my work. Therefore no, I think he meant make it realistic. Or do you want to test that?" I put a little extra venom in my voice. How often did one get the opportunity to make vulnerable a leader that how cowed so many?

 _Keep calm. Don't let them ruin this for you._

The guy paled, and the other one next to him covered his mouth. "Nope, sorry boss. Realistic. Got it."

"Thank you."

I rammed the car into the Land Cruiser.

* * *

 **Hank's POV**

Their car rammed into the side of mine, and for a moment, in my rage, I forgot my own plan.

I could understand what Matterazzi was trying to do, to spook us, but I didn't think that he'd planned on actually pushing us off of the cliff. I'd said "make it believable", not "potentially kill the girl"! I would be fine, but Nora might actually die from this and that I could not afford at the moment!

I began to race ahead, hoping that he might realize that there might have been another way for this. He simply swerved around me. Nora looked into the back of the car and gasped.

"Stop the car! It's a trap. Put the car in reverse!" she screamed. I was unperturbed.

"They destroyed my car!" I sped the car up, trying to at least get us to the area where Blakely waited for us. This cliff was at least a mile or two away from the lab area, and the worst I'd planned for was a damn crashed car, not a tumble all the way into a ravine!

 _What the absolute fuck!_

Again, I could replace the car and I knew that I would heal, but the girl's survival was an entirely different issue that I hadn't been trying to make more difficult than it needed to be!

"Look out!" Nora screamed.

In my thoughts, I hadn't moved the car quickly enough. I jerked, causing Nora's head to crack into the window.

"No no no no no!" I shouted.

The car tumbled over and over, and after what seemed like us falling forever, we finally crashed into the rocks next to the small stream in the ravine. I crawled out of the car, feeling like I was crawling bare through glass.

I probably was.

In the few moments I was conscious, I felt that my face had been gouged into with multiple glass shards, and my fingers had been crushed under the wheel. Cringing and then shouting with piss-inducing results, I cracked and slipped my broken fingers out of the wheel. I never thought that unbuckling a seatbelt and opening a door could be so painful. I passed out momentarily from the pain.

I woke up in a panic, not knowing how much time had passed. Some time had to have passed, because my fingers were already beginning to heal. My face was still bleeding.

 _Nora!_ I heard myself shouting. While I'd been worrying about myself, she could be dead and then it would truly all be for nothing! I turned, and luckily my men ( _luckily, those bastards better be lucky that I can't put my hands in fists!)_ had pulled her out of the wreckage.

"Get…me…to her!" I gurgled, loud enough that one of them were able to help me walk to her.

She looked awful. Like….deathly bad. It was by the grace of whatever was there for me that she hadn't broken her neck or it hadn't been cut and she'd died instantly. Her worst injury was a gouge on the top of her head, with a glass shard poignantly sticking from it. But the rest of her was nothing but bruising and glass cuts- she hadn't looked so swollen since that time I'd had to handle her in the cabin. I suppose for a human, what she had was bad enough to kill her. _Karma, we'll call it._

"Nora?" I said, using my palms to shake her shoulders. "Can you hear me, Nora? Don't try to get up. Stay on your back. I'm going to get you to the hospital."

Her eyes opened as far as they could, swollen as they were, and she had nerve to flinch at how I looked. If it weren't so painful to squeeze the glass filled skin on my face, I'd have laughed. She gurgled, and went unconscious. I began pulling the rest of the shards out of my face.

"Sir, you look….are you going to be okay?"

I turned to Dante and actually scowled, before I cried out in the pain.

"Sorry sir….I thought you wanted it to be realistic as possible. It ought to make the whole transferring blood thing-"

"GET ME TO BLAKELY'S." I commanded, glass adding some extra steel to my voice.

If I could have cuffed him then and there, I would. He was always an arrogant overachiever, thinking he was undermining or 'adding flair' to something I'd commanded of him. However, I was in so much pain, and Nora's life was likely fading. If we didn't get the blood in her soon, she would die, I would die, and everything would be left to the likes of Dante.

 **Hank is losing his cool- his plans are having really simple flaws! Read and review!**


	30. Chapter 28

**I actually had to do minor research on how blood transfusions work, and as to not mess it up I tried to be as general as possible with it!**

Chapter Twenty-Eight

 **Hank's POV**

We finally made it to Blakely's secret lab area, and I lay on top of the table that was serving as a stretcher. In the time that had passed, my fingers were all but healed and my face was much better. The glass had pushed itself out. The bruising all over my body had gone down substantially. Still, my own image wasn't my concern.

"You're looking much better, Hank." Blakely commented. "Sometimes I'm in awe of how our powers work. It's only been an hour and you're all but done healing from an accident that should have killed you both."

I brushed his sentiment off. "I'm not concerned about me. Is the girl going to live?"

Blakely looked at the hospital bed, stolen from the summer, with concern. "I've made sure she was stable, and her injuries have been cleaned, but her bruising hasn't gone down. She's suffering from mild internal bleeding as well, and there's nothing I can do about that. Some of the newer devilcraft prototypes I've injected into her have slowed down her bleeding, stabilized her, but it won't stop it forever. She is very much dying, which means we need to move quickly to get your blood into her."

I hadn't even considered internal bleeding when we'd been dragged from the car. "Get to work. Move quickly. _Everything_ depends on this."

Blakely looked at me. "It's not that simple- Well….Hank, I know you're related but you might not share the same blood type with all the Nephilim stuff going on. I've never done anything like this. If it's like human blood, and they don't mix, you'll just be killing her even faster-"

" _Then I've got nothing to lose!"_ I roared. "Do it! Do it _now!"_

He paled. "Yes, sir.

I lay back on the bed as Blakely pulled out an entire tank full of blood and placed it between Nora and I. I gulped subconsciously; I'd had my entire body drained of blood to fill up that tank; if I weren't Nephilim I would have died from the blood loss. That was one of the few times I'd been in this lab, outside of the devilcraft prototypes. I chuckled at the thought of a pruny Hank.

He began inserting all of the IVs into her arms and legs, and turned on the machine.

"The first fifteen minutes are going to be the hardest. If she has an allergic reaction to the blood, she'd show the signs now." he murmured, trying not to look at me.

"How long is it going to take?"

"It could take about four hours, maybe more considering you're transferring an entire body's worth of blood into her."

Four hours. I didn't have anything to do except keep calm and keep her alive. Everything was prepped for this. Her mother wouldn't be worried about her whereabouts. I could do this.

…

I lay completely still on that bed for at least 3 hours. Nothing happened in the first fifteen minutes. Nothing happened for 3 hours. It was completely silent between Blakely and I, with just the machine gurgling away. I decided to get up to test my body; everything was healed. My fingers were perfectly fine, and I actually felt like I could use the bathroom without glass coming out of anywhere. I turned to the door to go to the bathroom.

Nora's body began to convulse on the table. I immediately sped to her side. "What's going on?"

"I don't know sir!" Blakely cried. Nora began turning purple in the face (well, more purple than the bruising already made her). I blanched.

"You don't- _you don't know?!"_ I realized how stupid it was of me to trust just Blakely with this; I should have found a doctor! It looked like Nora was suffocating, as her eyes popped open and were a purple-red- but they were still unconscious. She was gurgling. Blood was spilling from her nose.

"Was there something previously wrong with her blood before we injected her?" Blakely cried, looking through his phone for symptoms of what was wrong. "Did she have HIV? Was she getting treatments? Anemic? Anything?"

"I don't know!" I shouted. "What does it matter?"

"It might be that the blood is clotting- it might not be exchanging the way we need it to! We need to turn the machine off!"

Blakely jumped for the blood transfusion machine-

I kicked him into the wall on the other side of the room.

" _No!"_ I roared. I turned down to Nora. "Listen, you little- you need to take this blood. You _have_ to. I'll wake you up and do it again, over and over, until you take it and you wake the hell up. I don't care how long we have to keep you here. And when this works, I'm tempted to wake you up and kill you again for all you've put me through."

I turned to Blakely, a demonic expression on my face. "You don't _fucking touch her._ The Nephilim blood will win out. It has to. I have been told- she will live. She has to. I don't care how long we're here. I don't care how much blood I have to give up. She's not leaving until this transfusion is complete."

"Hank- she's dying-"

"She'll live." I looked down. "Who knows, this might be something that she has to go through."

Blakely tried to stand up. "I…I can't…how can you do this? Your own daughter? Kidnapping her was one thing, but you're torturing her…there has to be another way, a more efficient way to do this."

I stood up straight. "Are you questioning my authority, Blakely?"

He paled and scooted back. "No, Hank. I just-"

I was at his side in two seconds, just enough to punch him hard enough to knock him out.

…

Blakely woke up an hour later, getting his bearings. He flinched when he saw me. I sat in a chair, next to Nora's body. I was composed, almost ecstatic.

"Come look, Blakely." I whispered. I gestured my hand over her body. He slowly stood up, and toed his way toward me. He looked over her body.

"Her bruising…her body…it's almost completely-"

"Healed." I finished for him.

It was true. After I'd knocked Blakely out, I'd stood next to Nora and pumped one more shot of the latest devilcraft prototype in her. I didn't know if it would work but I had nothing else to go on. I'd watched as her body rippled blue and purple, and watched as her bruises molded into perfect skin. Heard as broken bones snapped back into place and mended. Watched as glass pushed out of her skin, and as hair grew back. I'd washed her hair and face myself, using a bucket of water and a towel. All that was left was the scar from the large piece of glass in her forehead. She was even breathing normally. There had been a faint blue glow over her while she healed, but she healed exponentially faster than she ever would have as a human, and even a little faster than a Nephilim.

"It worked." Blakely marveled.

"Your last prototype- it worked. I injected it into her. Faster healing. It's powerful. Keep that one."

Blakely's eyes widened even further. He almost looked as if he'd seen heaven. "Of course. Finally…"

I could have started crying. Crying because it worked, and crying because it meant that my time was nearing an end. Still, I inhaled and stood up.

"We need to take her to the hospital. She'll need to wake up there."

Blakely nodded. "I'll call Dante."

 _Ugh._ I shuddered at the thought.

My phone rang when I walked out into the sunlight. I answered, expecting and hoping for good news.

…

I walked into the hospital, marinating in happiness.

Scott Parnell had been located.

Two wins in a row, in one day- things were finally going my way.

I'd made sure everyone who had anything to do with transporting Nora was silent, with the threat of eternal imprisonment. Even Dante, with his sarcastic mouth, paled at the thought. I was finally able to take Nora home, although I'd have to watch her. I didn't know when her powers would truly kick in, or when she'd discover them. I also needed to make sure she didn't relapse, remember anything, or die. I made sure guards were around the farmhouse, so that there'd be no sneaking in or out like she had a history of doing.

The elevator slid open, and Nora stood right in the door. She jumped when she saw me, dropping her phone.

 _Busted._ "Hello, Nora."

She gaped at me for a moment. "Going up?"

"Actually I was looking for you."

"I'm in a hurry." She said, picking up her phone.

"I thought you might need a ride home. I had one of my boys bring over a rental from the dealership."

"Thanks, but I've already called a friend."

I could see why she wouldn't want a ride with me, but I still had no time for games. "At least let me see you to the doors."

"I need to stop by the restrooms first. Please don't wait. Really I'm fine. I'm sure Marcie is anxious to see you."

"Your mother would want me to see you home safely."

Nora looked at me, then looked down. A couple moments passed where she said nothing at all. I felt her power emanating from her.

"I smell rubber burning. You're thinking hard about something." She was coming close to what happened. I could see her trying to remember. I couldn't let her do that. Not now, not when she was more powerful than she realized. She looked up at me, and I caught her gaze. Once I had her under the trance, her power fizzled out and she stared.

"Has your friend agreed to pick you up, Nora?"

She looked like she tried to fight it off, but only momentarily. "I called Vee, but she didn't answer."

"I'm happy to give you a ride, Nora."

She nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Nora's mind was very easy to access. She practically spoke her thoughts through her facial expression. If she'd been trained under me, we could have had that handled. We reached the farmhouse, with Nora in a daze and me slightly on edge. When I tried to follow her into the farmhouse, she turned to me in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"Your mom would want me to look after you tonight."

"You're staying the whole night?" She asked. She began to shake, and her hand tightened on the door, breaking into the wood. She didn't notice it, and I was determined to make sure she didn't.

"You're letting cold air in," I said, subtly moving her hand from the door. "Let me help."

I went to sit on the couch. "Want to unwind with a show?"

"I'm tired," she muttered.

"You've had a long day. Sleep might be just what the doctor ordered."

She turned to go up the stairs, then turned around. "Hank- why do you really want to stay here tonight?"

I chuckled. "You look positively frightened, Nora. Be a good girl and go up to bed. It's not like I'm going to strangle you in your sleep." _As long as you go sleep, we'll be perfectly safe together._

She turned and went up the stairs.

I could understand why she was scared. I knew she knew I was the one who held her prisoner this summer. I just didn't know what she planned on doing about it, and with her new power I needed to make sure she wasn't able to.

 _Go sleep, Nora. Your normal days will come to an end soon, and you'll miss being able to sleep in._

* * *

 **Nora's POV**

It wasn't until I found myself standing at the threshold of Patch's studio that I began to sense that something wasn't quite right. The haze scattered from my brain, and I realized Hank had mind-tricked me into submission. Flinging open Patch's front door and dashing inside, I shouted his name.

 **Direct quote to/from Becca Fitzpatrick! I swear I actually hate how sleazy I make Hank sometimes. I can't wait til he's gone. I know yall want more Patch, but this is really important plot information- he's all in the next chapter, I promise! Read and review!**


	31. Chapter 29

**I just want to say- whoever you are out there, reading this- make sure to take care of yourself, and take time to de-stress. It's really important.**

Chapter Twenty-Nine

 **Patch's POV**

 _Just a second...not even sleep...just resting my eyes…._

"Patch! _Patch!"_

I shot up, confused and on edge. I turned, and when Nora turned the corner into the kitchen I immediately rushed over to her, disturbed. How had she gotten down here? By herself? How did I not sense her walking into the room?

 _Wait… she's not even in the room….?!_

"Nora? How did you get here? You're inside my head. Are you _dreaming_?"

It was subtle; had the feelings of a dream, but not quite. I knew that I was awake- I hadn't fallen asleep yet. It didn't matter what I was doing though, because there was no way that a human was capable of doing something like this- capable of eclipsing my thoughts, a _fallen angel's thoughts._

"I don't know. I think so. I crawled into bed feeling a desperate need to talk to you…and here I am. Are you asleep?"

I shook my head. I didn't know if I'd be able to touch her, or if she was even real. "I'm awake, but you're eclipsing my thoughts. I don't know how you did it. Only a powerful Nephil or fallen angel could pull off something like this."

What had happened that gave her this power? Was this even Nora? Was I being lured into something? I didn't want to not trust the girl in front of me…but this was beyond even me, and I wasn't okay with it.

"Something terrible happened," she cried, rushing into my arms. All of my distrust evaporated. _You didn't use to be this trusting,_ I sheepishly thought to myself. She was definitely one of my vulnerabilities. "First my mom fell down the stairs, and on our way to the hospital to see her, Hank and I were hit." Hank? And Nora? _Hit?_ In a millisecond I was concerned that I was hugging a ghost, that she was dead and I would have to deal with the pain and anger that came with. I shook it off before she could notice it.

"Before I blacked out, I think Hank said the other car was full of fallen angels. Hank drove me home from the hospital- and I asked him to leave, but he won't!"

I looked at her with anxiety. "Slow down. Hank is alone with you right now?"

She nodded.

"Wake up. I'm coming to see you."

I practically hurdled over Delphic's fence in my rush to get to my bike. As I rode toward the farmhouse, I wasn't stupid enough to think that Hank's men wouldn't be trolling the place, and I was right- cars trailed all the way up the street. I left the bike behind some trees in the forest beginning before the street, and sprinted through it all the way to her window. Either by my luck or their stupidity, three of the guards around the house were huddled in a circle around a phone, laughing at something. I leapt up the siding of the house, using each window as a foothold to push in. I almost laughed at the thought of entering through the chimney (I doubt I'd be some kid's Santa dream) and entered through the attic. At this point, I knew it would be dangerous to actually walk down the stairs, so I dissociated myself into her thoughts- the same thing she'd done earlier with me. I could hear Hank down the stairs, watching something on TV. I slipped to Nora's door, and tapped it quietly. There was a creaking, dragging sound, but the door opened and Nora's hand reached out to pull me inside.

"Hank is downstairs watching TV," she murmured. I kicked the door closed quietly, and pushed her further into the room. So far, I was able to physically interact with her, which was good.

"I came in through the attic." I placed my hands on the side of her face. "Are you okay?" It was more of me asking myself than it was me asking her. Everything else seemed to be okay, but I noticed there was a fresh scar on the top of her head, and I felt pure fury. I didn't think he'd done this to her directly, but he was a part of this. I didn't need to hear the story and I knew.

"Hank has been mind-tricking me all night."

"Play everything back, starting with your mom's fall." We both sat down on the bed.

She explained to me the entire story, mentioning how she believed Hank mind-tricked her to get her from the school, to the hospital. I didn't put it past Hank to push Blythe down the stairs. I was genuinely pained by the idea that the car she was in flipped all the way down a ravine. I didn't even know how she was alive- or _uninjured besides a scar on her head-_ from something as bad as that. She may have been mind-tricked, although that left the possibility that Hank did in fact injure her himself, which pissed me off. Another thing was bothering me too.

"What did the fallen angels' car look like?" I asked.

"El Camino. Tan."

I began to stroke my chin. "Do you think it was Gabe? It's not what he usually drives, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"There were three of them in the car. I couldn't see their faces. It might have been Gabe, Dominic and Jeremiah."

Still, that didn't make sense… if there were fallen angels, they probably wouldn't have left Nora alive or cognizant. They also wouldn't have returned Hank to where he could feel like he could safely travel and watch TV. He would be in hiding right now, spiraling, trying to plan a way out, if they'd made him swear fealty. Still, I wasn't able to think of any other situation, especially if Nora was sure that there were fallen angels.

"Or it might have been any number of fallen angels targeting Hank. With Rixon gone, there's a price on his head. He's the Black Hand, the most powerful Nephil alive, and any number of fallen angels want him as their vassal for bragging rights alone. How long were you out before Hank drove you to the hospital?"

"If I had to guess, only a few minutes. When I came around, Hank was covered in blood, and he looked exhausted. He could barely lift me into the car. I don't think his cuts and bruises were from the crash. Being coerced to swear fealty sounds plausible."

I didn't know what had happened to Hank. I didn't care what happened to Hank. But the idea that something like that could happen with Nora nearby, could have happened to Nora, as possible collateral...I couldn't accept that.

"This ends here. I want you out of this. I know you're set on being the one to bring down Hank, but I can't risk losing you." I began to pace around the room. "Let me do this for you. Let me be the one to make him pay."

"This isn't your fight, Patch." She whispered.

 _Not my figh- What?!_ "You're mine, Angel, and don't you forget it. Your fights are my fights." And I'd been a part of this fight much longer than she had. "What if something had happened today? It was bad enough when I _thought_ your ghost was haunting me; I don't think I could handle the real thing."

I'd been through many dark, traumatizing things, but I honestly believed losing Nora over the summer had given me severe anxiety about ever losing her again. She could have scraped a knee and I would have been worried. There was no way in hell that I'd leave her to do this alone. I didn't want her to do it at all. She came from behind me and wrapped her arms around me.

"Something bad could have happened, but it didn't." _As far as you know! That scar on your head is 'something bad'!_ "Even if it was Gabe, he obviously didn't get what he wanted."

Which was a major mark against the idea that it had been a fallen angel attacking them.

"Forget Gabe! Hank has something planned for you and maybe your mom, too. Let's concentrate on that. I want you to go into hiding. If you don't want to stay at my place, fine. We'll find somewhere else. You'll stay there until Hank is dead, buried and rotting."

"I can't leave. Hank will immediately suspect something if I disappear. Plus, I can't put my mom through that again. If I disappear now, it will break her. Look at her. She's not the same person she was three months ago. Maybe in part that's due to Hank's mind-tricks, but I have to face the fact that my disappearance weakened her in ways she'll probably never recover from. From the moment she wakes up in the morning, she's terrified. There's no such thing as safe. Not anymore."

 _And?_ "Again, Hank's doing." I said, dismissing Blythe's concerns. I'd always held a distaste for Blythe's taste in men and weakness of mind. I suppose it would have been childish to declare that I too suffered from Nora's disappearance, and had dealt with it much more directly.

Nora sighed. "I can't control what Hank did, but I can control what I do now. I'm not leaving. And you're right- I'm not going to step aside and let you take on Hank alone. Promise me now that whatever happens you won't cheat me. Promise me you won't go behind my back and quietly do away with him, even if you honestly believe you're doing it for my own good."

"Oh he won't go quietly." I hissed. She was already being too merciful.

"Promise me, Patch."

I turned to look at her. She seemed so determined….so very human and small and determined. I wanted to directly say no. I wanted to go back on my word, considering she hadn't suggested a blood oath. It wasn't like I couldn't just take him out and beg forgiveness later.

 _What if she doesn't forgive you? You'd have done all of that just for her to not accept you. Besides, you're supposed to be 'better' for her._

 _Ugh. Damn my newfound conscience._ "I won't stand by and watch you go up against him alone," I forced myself to say, "but I won't kill him privately, either. Before I lay a hand on him, I'll make sure it's what you want."

I was pushing it through ground teeth, and I was turned away so she couldn't see the pained look on my face, but I meant what I said.

"Thank you." She said, sweetly. I warmed on the inside. Only a little.

"If you're ever attacked again, go for the fallen angel's wing scars."

She didn't respond.

"Club him with a baseball bat or ram a stick in his scars if that's all you have. Our wing scars are our Achilles' heel. We can't feel the pain, but the trauma to the scars will paralyze us. Depending on the damage done, you could cripple us for hours. After stabbing the tire iron through Gabe's scars, I'd be surprised if he came out of the shock in less than eight."

"I'll remember that." She paused. "Patch?"

"Mmm." I was being nice telling her about that. I didn't want her to be in that situation, but she needed to know how to defend herself.

"I don't want to fight." She placed a finger along my shoulder, noting how tense my muscles were. I didn't realize I was so wound. "Hank has already taken my mom from me, and I don't want him to take you, too. Can you understand why I have to do it? Why I can't send you off to fight my battles, even though we both know you win in this department, hands down?"

I exhaled; again, I didn't realize how wound I was. I knew why she wouldn't want to send me. Her mom was practically useless to Hank's charms and powers; she couldn't tell anyone else what was going on; Scott was who knew where and she'd already lost her father to the violence. She didn't want to lose any more of the people she cared about.

"There's only one thing I know for sure." I turned around and looked down at her. "That I would do anything for you, even if it means going against my instincts or my very nature. I would lay down everything I possess, even my soul, for you. If that isn't love, it's the best I have."

Nora blushed, and got this very goofy smile on her face before smashing her lips into mine. I was surprised, yet happy. Also….something else.

I pulled away and looked down at her. "Angel," I murmured, almost asking what it was she wanted from me. Flushed cheeks. Wide pupils. Heavy lids. She slid her hand to the back of my neck.

 _Oh, okay._

I began opening buttons, pushing off the cardigan. I put my fingers only underneath the hem of her shirt, relishing the sharp breath she took. I looked into her eyes teasingly, and began kissing up her shoulder, and neck. I pushed her down onto the bed, holding her up to me…

And then, like light-speed, I threw myself back into my body. Only a second afterwards, I heard:

"Nora?"

 **Lol I won't force you guys to have to read through the awkward bit like I did. Read and review!**


	32. Chapter 30

**It's a short one, I know. But it was the best place to cut this one off, because the next chapter has a crap ton going on in it. Also cuz I'm on a roll tonight typing. Been up all day doing homework and such.**

Chapter Thirty

 **Patch's POV**

 _That was too close._

There was no way he should have been able to sense me like that. Given, in the heat of the moment I likely was giving off stronger vibes than I normally did. I shouldn't have lost focus like that- it wasn't the time nor place. Still, it wasn't like I was in person- at least not in the room. If anything, Hank should have come to the attic to find my body, but he went straight for Nora's room- he sensed me _in her thoughts._

I opened my eyes up to an empty, sepia toned field. The grass was tall, and I stood next to the only tree in the entirety of the landscape. It was dark and crooked, and had no leaves on it. Kind of depressing, but that was how I felt at the moment. Depressed. Alone. Out of ideas. Cold.

Soon, Nora came wading toward me- her red hair was the brightest thing in the entire dream. When she finally saw me, she started running through the grass. As she reached me, I took off my jacket and wrapped it around us.

"I want to stay with you tonight." She said, her eyes wild. "I'm scared that Hank is going to try something."

Try; he already _did._ "I'm not letting you or him out of my sight, Angel." I tried to sound more sure than I felt.

"Do you think he knows you were in my bedroom?"

I sighed. She always knew what to ask. "One thing's for sure: he sensed something. I made a big enough impression that he came upstairs to investigate. I'm starting to wonder if he's stronger than I've given him credit for. His men are impeccably organized and trained. He's managed to hold an archangel captive. And now he can sense me from several rooms away. The only explanation I can think of is devilcraft. He's found a way to channel it, or he's made a bargain. Either way, he's invoking the powers of hell." My upset was slipping through my voice. I'd always made it a point to be one step ahead of my enemies, but it almost seemed like Hank had left the playing field. How could I beat someone when I didn't even know what they were doing?

She shivered. "You're scaring me. That night, after Bloody Mary's, the two Nephilim who chased me mentioned devilcraft. But they said Hank had pronounced it a myth."

"Could be Hank doesn't want anyone knowing what he's up to. Devicraft might explain why he thinks he can overthrow fallen angels as early as Cheshvan. I'm not an expert in devilcraft, but it seems plausible that it could be used to combat an oath, even an oath sworn under heaven. He might be counting on it to break thousands upon thousands of oaths Nephilim have sworn to fallen angels over the centuries."

It was actually admirable, when I thought about it objectively. Breaking that many chains- all by allying yourself with Hell. _Okay, not admirable_. Still, impressive that he'd been able to dig in that deeply. Again, I'd never been so confused or thrown off by an enemy.

"In other words, you don't think it's a myth." Nora confirmed.

"I used to be an archangel." And contrary to popular belief, I was very well-versed in all of the rules. "It wasn't under any jurisdiction, but I know it exists. That's about all any of us knew. It originated in hell, and most of what we knew was speculation. Devilcraft is forbidden outside of hell, and the archangels should be on top of this."

I had a heavy suspicion that the reason the archangels hadn't acted is because they wanted this war to happen- to wipe out both fallen angels and Nephilim. Two birds, one stone. The problem was, they had to know that if devilcraft was a factor, that they would be next. The rapture would be imminent. One side was going to win. They were likely too arrogant to think otherwise.

"Maybe they don't know. Or maybe Hank found a way to hide it from them. Or maybe he's using it in such little doses, they haven't picked up on it yet."

"Here's a cheerful thought," I said, voicing one of my long-held suspicions. "He could be using devilcraft to rearrange molecules in the air, which would explain why I've had a hard time tracking him. The whole time I've been spying for him, I've done my best to keep a tail on him, trying to figure out how he's using the information I've fed him. Not easy, given he moves like a ghost. He doesn't leave evidence the way he should. He could be using devilcraft to alter matter altogether. I have no idea how long he's been using it or how good he's gotten at harnessing it."

I looked at the place where Nora's scar would have been, outside of the dream. An insecure, nagging thought made me wonder if Hank had used devilcraft on her too, to erase evidence. To remove any other injuries Nora may have had, except for just one to verify the "crash" story. It seemed like a lot of extra work, but he had proven he had no problem using his daughters as guinea pigs for his tests. If he'd been able to, it meant that whatever he had was strong enough to imitate and expedite Nephilim healing factor. I didn't need that kind of stress in my life.

I tried to focus on another idea of mine. It was an idea that I'd saved until last resort, both because I was too proud to ask for help and too arrogant to realize I needed it sooner. I reached around my neck and unclipped my necklace.

"Last summer I gave you my archangel's necklace. You gave it back to me, but I want you to have it again. It doesn't work for me anymore. But it might come in useful."

"Hank would do _anything_ to get your necklace." Nora protested, pushing my hands away. "Keep it. You need to hide it. We can't let Hank find it."

Considering what she'd been through over this necklace, I could understand her concern. However, there were bigger stakes at hand.

"If Hank puts my necklace on the archangel, she'll have no choice but to tell him the truth. She'll give him pure, unadulterated knowledge, and freely. You're right about that. But the necklace will also record the encounter, imprinting it forever. Sooner or later, Hank's going to get his hands on another necklace. Better he takes mine than finds another."

"Imprint?"

"I want you to find a way to give this to Marcie," I said, clipping it around her neck. "It can't be obvious. She has to think she's stolen it from you. Hank will grill her, and she has to believe she outsmarted you. Can you do that?"

She pulled away from me, giving me an admonishing look. "What are you planning?"

I smiled lightly. "I wouldn't call this planning. I'd call this throwing a Hail Mary with seconds left on the clock."

She put her face down, thinking. "I can invite Marcie over. I'll tell her I need help picking out jewelry to go with my homecoming dress. If she's really helping Hank hunt down the necklace, and if she really thinks I have it, she'll take advantage of having access to my bedroom. I'm not thrilled about having her poke around, but I'll do it."

I waited, knowing there was an addendum.

"But first I want to know _exactly_ why I'm doing it."

I sighed. "Hank needs the archangel to talk. So do we. We need a way to let the archangels in heaven know Hank if practicing devilcraft. I'm a fallen angel, and they aren't going to listen to me." I could have still been an archangel and they wouldn't have. "But if Hank touches my necklace, it will imprint on the necklace. If he's using devilcraft, the necklace will record that, too. My word means nothing to the archangels, but that kind of evidence would. All we'd need to do is get the necklace into their hands."

Nora frowned. "What if it doesn't work? What if Hank gets the information he needs, and we get nothing?"

I nodded. "What would you like me to do instead?"

I was genuinely asking. I had nothing else right now, and while I was sure I could come up with something later, I was too exhausted to try.

Nora didn't respond, she just lay her head back down on my chest. I sighed, and put my head on hers.

"Is it too late to convince you to run away with me, and leave behind Coldwater forever?" I said, only halfway joking.

"Will that stop the apocalypse?" Nora spoke into my shirt, but I could see her eyebrows lift.

"No."

"Then unfortunately, yes."

 **Read and review!**


	33. Chapter 31

**If/When you all ever enter your senior year of college/university (especially as a Biology/STEM major), make sure you write a notecard with the definition of the phrase "free time" on it, because I've definitely forgot XD On a more serious note, I've had people reach out to me to encourage me to keep writing. Thank you for your support.**

Chapter Thirty-One

 **Vee's POV**

 _Hmm….okay then, Scotty the Hottie._

He'd just offered to take Nora and I backstage for a tour of the place. I was sad at first- Nora and Scott? Going to homecoming? I didn't know if I was jealous that Scott chose Nora or that Nora chose somebody other than me! But, being a good bestie, she offered to share the love.

We were chilling at the Devil's Handbag, coming down from some emotions after some hippie blonde chick decided to come at Nora for whatever reason. _Crazy skank….though I swore I've seen her before, and I don't know where…_

Scott started playing a couple notes, and I found myself tapping in tune. Nora looked over at me and smirked. "Anything you want to tell me?"

 _Whatcha wanna know?_ I hid my smile. "He's nice."

"I thought you were in boy detox."

I nudged her back. "Don't be a Debbie Downer."

Nora pursed her lips and looked away nonchalantly. "Just getting my facts straight."

 _Oh come on, girl!_ "If we hooked up, he could write me ballads and stuff. You gotta admit, nothing's sexier than a guy who writes music." I'd heard the word ballad in English class talking about Shakespeare…or was that sonnet? Either way, Scott in some ancient tights wouldn't look too wrong…not bad at all…

"Mm-hmm."

"Mm- _hmm_ , yourself."

Suddenly, Nora stiffened. I tried to look around for what she saw, but she was just looking on stage. Then, she started to move. When I started to follow after, she stopped. "I'm going to run to the restroom. Save my spot."

I was mildly concerned, but these were good seats.

When she left, I sat there watching the band prep. I was trying to be discreet, but my eyes just ended up on Scott anyway. He looked so relaxed, especially after all the douche-ness of the summer. I wasn't sure what life experience he had, but whatever vacation he'd went on had done the trick. Instead of looking mean, he looked…soft. Nice.

 _Hmmm…_

* * *

 **Patch's POV**

"In alley behind Devil's Handbag. Saw fallen angel from car crash. Will aim for wing scars."

 _Oh boy._

Luckily, I was nearby when I got her text. I immediately ran for my motorcycle and sped toward the seedy club. I hadn't been there with Nora since the incident with Marcie, and it would be interesting to see the dynamic now. _Focused on the wrong things. Focus!_ I shook off my stupid curiosity. Right now, Nora felt like she was in danger, and by one of the people who'd left her as collateral in that "crash". I was seething with a taste for blood; interrogating one of my kind might be useful, both for information and steam. He might be in a closer place than I was, especially to risk getting that close to the Black Hand? I needed to know what he knew, and I needed it _now._

Arriving at the club, I hopped off my bike and sensed out for Nora. _The back._ I ran around to the alley, pausing to the sight of a crumpled man on the ground and a flustered Nora gripping onto a shovel. I looked down at the man again. For a moment I doubted myself; were my senses weakening? Did she accidentally kill a human? No…I sensed power, but not that of a fallen angel. I walked slowly toward Nora, trying to calm her down. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"I—got him." She gasped.

 _Oh, Angel…_ I had to smile; I was at least proud of her effort. "Angel, this man isn't a fallen angel."

She blinked at me. "What?"

Mainly for her, and partially to assuage my own fears, I tore open the back of the man's shirt. Yep, a Nephil.

Nora gaped. "I was sure, I thought it was him. I recognized his tattoo—"

"He's Nephilim." I responded, looking at Nora. Once my initial shock of the man not being a fallen angel was gone, I then turned to figuring out how Nora, not the strongest of human beings, somehow beat a _Nephil_ unconscious. He must have been weak, or she truly caught him off guard. I rolled his body over, showing her the brand for confirmation.

"The Black Hand's mark. The men who attacked us that day, and nearly drove us off the road, were Hank's men?"

It seemed the most viable opinion. Especially since this confirmed my beliefs that Hank was behind Nora's accident. Trying to contain my anger, I asked her one more time. "Are you sure this was one of the men in the El Camino?"

She scowled. "Oh, I'm sure." She looked down, the shadows casting darkness on her face. "Hank orchestrated the car crash. Originally, I thought the crash has upended his plans, but none of it was by accident. He told his men to hit us, and he planted in my head that they were fallen angels. And I was stupid enough to fall for it!"

I moved the Nephil's body to some hedges, using it as time to think. "This way he won't attract any attention before he wakes up." He was lucky that Nora was my top priority, otherwise he might be dealing with a less pleasant wake up. "Did he get a good look at you?"

"No, I took him by surprise. But why did Hank need to crash his car? The whole thing seems pointless. His car was totaled, he was severely beat up in the process- I don't get it."

When she put it in that view, it made me think that Hank's entire purpose was to distract Nora to get her alone- and I didn't like whatever that could have meant. I also wasn't giving him the option to do so again.

"I don't want you leaving my sight until we've figured this out. Go inside and tell Vee you don't need a ride home. I'll pick you up out front in five."

Nora rubbed her arms, shivering. "Come with me. I don't want to be alone. What if there are more of Hank's men inside?"

 _As much as I want to,_ "If Vee sees us together, things will get messy." I didn't want to have to incapacitate her annoying best friend, but I'd do what I had to in order to get Nora safely out of this place. "Tell her you found a ride home, and you'll call her later. I'll stand just inside the doors. I won't let you out of my sight."

She shook her head. "She won't buy it. She's a lot more cautious than she used to be." That wasn't surprising information; Vee had put up one of the hardest fights in a human I'd ever seen when I went to erase her memory, and it wasn't endearing us to one another.

"I'll ride home with her, and after she leaves, I'll meet you up the street from my house. Hank is there, so don't drive any closer than you have to."

I didn't like it, but I respected her wishes. I pulled her into a kiss. "Be careful."

She walked back into the building, and I leaned on the side. I watched as she convinced Vee to leave the building, and followed behind them from a distance as they drove to Nora's farmhouse.

* * *

 **Vee's POV**

"Hold up! Back up." _Slow, all the way the hell down!_ "You've got _that_ whack job helping Scott?" How the hell could Nora be so _stupid?!_ She'd just admitted to finally seeing Patch, that demonic, crazed...terrible criminal, and then she wanted me to trust Scott's life with him?! "Does your mom know you're mixed up with him again? Did you ever think maybe, _maybe,_ this was information you should tell me? I've been lying about him this whole time, pretending he never existed, and all the while you were hooking up with him behind my back?"

Any other time, I could've acknowledged I'd just snitched on myself. But not this time. Not when we were doing so well to move on past this guy, get this guy out of Nora's life and keep her safe, and all of a sudden she's just dancing around with him with _no concern_ for her own well-being. And here I thought she was the logical friend!

"So you're finally ready to come clean about Patch?" she said, with a Marcie-esque look on her face. _Don't give me that look!_

"Come clean? _Come clean?" Is she kidding me?!_ "I lied because unlike that dirtbag, I actually care what happens to you. He's not right in the head. He showed up and your life was never the same. My life either, while we're on the subject. I'd rather face down a gang of convicts than bump into Patch on an empty street. He's real good at taking advantage of people, and it sounds to me like he's up to his old tricks again."

Nora had forgotten all of what had happened this summer, but I didn't! I didn't forget that he was the cheating scumbag reason Marcie was able to torment Nora all summer!

"If you ever saw him the way I do—"

 _-Bih, PLEASE!_ " _That_ ever happens, you can bet I'll gouge my eyes out!"

Nora balled her hands up, and I was honestly ready to knock some sense into her. "You _lied,_ Vee. You looked me in the eye and lied. I'd believe it of my mom, but not you." She opened the door, and I felt irrationally like I was being deserted. "How were you going to explain yourself when I got my memory back?" she asked suddenly.

"I hoped you wouldn't get it back." I said, tossing my hands in the air. "There. I said it. You were better off without it, if it meant not remembering that freak show. You don't think straight when you're around him. It's like you see the one percent of him that might be good, and miss the other ninety-nine percent of pure psychopathic evil!"

Nora's jaw dropped. "Anything else?"

"Nope. That sums up my feelings pretty adequately on the subject."

She got out and slammed my door.

"When you come back to your senses, you have my number!" I called.

As I drove off, I was super pissed. Beyond pissed. But then I began to feel really sad. The memory thing was a low blow. I wasn't…trying to be a bad friend, and I felt like that's what Nora was thinking. I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to her again after I'd left.

 _Something wouldn't happen if she wasn't dealing with that crazy bastard!_

I didn't feel wrong. I was never going to feel wrong about him. But part of me felt like I was losing my best friend ever since he walked into her life. It wasn't fair. I was only trying to protect her. Still, it seemed like Nora and I just…weren't as close as we kept trying to act like we were. I picked up my phone, tempted to call and throw an olive branch, but I recalled some words my mom said to me once. " _Just give it some time."_ Normally I didn't listen, but I decided that Nora would reach out when she wanted to.

I just hoped that she would be safe enough to call me back, even if she was being stupid.

 **Something I considered while writing this chapter; I feel like Vee was always jealous of Patch. She had reason not to trust him, but I also felt like she thought he was taking Nora from her. Anyway, read and review!**


	34. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

 **Patch's POV**

As Nora approached, I had the strangest sense of deja-vu. The expression on her face was the same as the night I first cornered her in the library parking lot after her 'fight' with Marcie. Dark, disappointed, sad. She was coming with me on my motorcycle then, too. I was about to ask her what was wrong, when she looked me up and down.

"Where's the Tahoe?" she asked, surprised. I handed her a helmet.

"Had to ditch it. Too many people knew I drove it, including Hank's men. I parked it in an abandoned field. A homeless guy named Chambers is living out of it now."

She tossed her hair back and began to laugh. While Chambers' glee at a free car was heartwarming, I didn't understand why it was so funny. I rose my eyebrows, wondering if she was going to talk.

"After the night I've been having, I needed that."

It had been a rough night. But I was going to make it all better. I kissed her, then fixed her helmet strap. "Glad I could help. Hop on, Angel. I'm taking you home."

 _Home._ I liked calling a place where both of us were going "home". It felt…right. She felt wonderful holding on to me on the way back….so I would say if I could feel. Still, I could sense that she was finally relaxing. I wanted to stay in and relax with her, keep her safe, and maybe…some other things. The studio was quiet, empty and had perfect privacy. I'd even done some preparation for her to be there; I was really excited about my set up.

When we got to the apartment, I made sure to light the fire and remove her coat.

"Hungry?" I asked nonchalantly.

Nora looked at me with amusement. "You bought food? For me?"

I couldn't help how proud I was. "There's an organic grocery store just off the highway exit. I can't remember the last time I went shopping for food. I might have gone overboard."

* * *

 _The middle-aged women in the store looked at me with a mixture of contempt and lust. Like I reminded them of the guy they wouldn't let their daughters date, but too cute to be ignored. It. Was. Hilarious. One of them, walking with her pre-teen daughter didn't look away fast enough, and I shot her a smile. She flushed, and her daughter literally ran away squealing on her phone._

 _It was amusing, really. This type of place was so 'normal', so light. I felt exposed; me being there was like a clashing of completely different worlds._

 _I found myself in the cheese aisle. Ah, wheels of cheese. Back in my younger days (ha!) I remembered the feasts we had in France. Full roasted pigs, wheels of cheeses, chickens, quails, baskets of fruits, cakes. It all looked amazing. The excitement and gluttony of the balls were something I missed. It was back when I could be out and about, in public, without worrying about who saw me. An earlier time when there were no consequences. I enjoyed dancing and the music. When I was Chauncey, I made sure to glut on it all._

 _I tried to come back to reality. I tossed in Gorgonzola and feta (I had a secret love for feta). The meat aisle almost dragged me back again. Sliced meat was so recent, in my mind. Again, whole pigs and poultry were a thing; now I could just buy a package of sliced salami. Crazy. I tossed a bunch of meats in the cart. Mushrooms- roasted mushrooms were a delicacy. I tossed in some other vegetables; I'd stuff the mushrooms with them and the feta. I had salt at home (although for what, at this point, as I had no taste buds)._

 _On to desserts._

 _Chocolate pudding. It looked like it had no texture. But, Nora liked chocolate, so I threw it in. Whipped cream. Would go well with strawberries. It would also go excellently on—_

 _Focus! Food for eating is the important part._

 _One day, though. I only needed Nora's permission. As soon as I had it…she'd never want to go back. I'd never get enough. I chuckled outwardly; it must have been lascivious because another old lady blushed and scooted away._

 _I found a water bottle package and tossed it in. That was another modern thing- to just have water on sight._

 _I really am aging myself right now. A new world is right. I looked around myself. I'd felt out of place beforehand, but the reality was, I would never fit in anywhere. I was going to be from a different time no matter where I stood. I looked down at the feta cheese and salami and sighed. Those, salami cheese rolls. Hadn't had them since Chauncey was gone. I missed food._

 _Maybe I ought to start cooking for Nora; that might help. As long as she enjoyed it._

 _I got to the register, and the guy there immediately perked up._

" _That'll be…70.14 sir."_

 _I didn't even get that much!_

 _I was tempted to make him let me walk out freely with it, but then I thought I might as well "fit in". I paid him the money, got my change, and walked out. As I left the doors, I could see he was still gawking. I couldn't tell if he was checking me out, or wanted to be me. Poor kid; no one wants to be me. I smiled, and went to the bike._

* * *

Nora offered me one of the texture-less puddings; I declined. I sat at the bar and went into thought. "Do you remember anything else from the crash before you blacked out?"

She found a spoon and began to eat, thinking. "No. This might be something though. The car crash happened right before lunch. I originally thought I couldn't have been unconscious for more than a few minutes, but when I woke up in the hospital, it was evening. That means my time line is missing about six hours… so how do we account for those missing six hours? Was I with Hank? Lying unconscious in the hospital?"

 _Six hours._ If she were at the hospital for six hours, the hospital would have it recorded. That would be easy to verify, although I was sure Hank had his squealers there as well. However, I sincerely doubted that Hank, if he truly were recovering from injuries from a crash he knew he'd heal from, would take her to the hospital. That would mean that out in the wilderness Nora had laid there…

Something didn't feel right. The fact that she'd been out there for six hours and didn't remember anything either meant that she was unconscious and in pain, or her memories had been wiped. I had an idea that Hank wanted something directly with Nora, and if he had any intentions on taking her or harming her ever again… I _wouldn't_ allow that. I had another idea…but I just knew it was going to ruin the little peace we had going in my home.

"I know you're not going to like this, but if we could get Dabria close to Hank,"- Nora's brow dropped into a frown- "she might be able to read something off him. She can't see inside his past, but if she still has some of her powers and can see his future, it might clue us in on what he's been up to…" I continued talking, watching Nora's face slowly descend into a scowl. By the time I was done, she tried to fix her face into a nonchalant pout.

 _Uh oh._

"Speaking of Dabria, she was at the Devil's Handbag tonight. She was kind enough to introduce herself."

She looked at me, and though I kept my features clean (I'd dealt with worse interrogations) my internal exasperated screaming would've deafened her.

"She said there's a reward on Hank's head." _Why can't that woman ever follow damn directions?_ "Ten million dollars to the first fallen angel who successfully drags him in." _Dabria just can't stop running her f**king mouth!_ "She said there are people who'd rather not see Hank lead a Nephilim rebellion, and while she didn't give me specifics, I think I can figure out the details on my own." _If only I could rip her tongue out like I did the wings._ "I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few Nephilim who would much rather see him locked away. Nephilim who are planning a coup d'etat."

"Ten million sounds about right." I'd heard that rumor as well. I wasn't worried about it though. I was too busy seething. Every time I thought Dabria was doing better and we had a business relationship going, she had to go and do things like this. My fury was almost murderous.

Finally, Nora got to the point. "Are you going to sell me out, Patch?"

I had to calm myself down. I wasn't mad at Nora. I was mad that Dabria had somehow successfully gotten into her head, _again._ "You realize this is what Dabria wants, don't you?" I asked, disgust in my voice. "She followed to the Devil's Handbag tonight with one intent: to plant it in your head that I want to betray you." My eyes were sharp on Nora's face, and she looked to the side petulantly.

"Did she tell you I gambled away my fortune and the ten million will pose too great a temptation? No, I can tell by your face it isn't that." No, all I saw on Nora's face was insecurity- jealousy wasn't a good look on her face at all. It twisted her features. It brought back memories of the summer, where we couldn't even communicate. "Maybe she told you I have women tucked away in every corner of the world, and I plan on using the money to keep them flocking to me. Jealousy would be more in her taste, which is why I'm betting if I haven't hit the nail on the head yet, I'm getting warmer."

She tilted her chin up, trying to hide it. "She said you've amassed a long list of enemies and you're planning to pay them off."

I laughed, straight from my gut. _First of all, half my enemies can't even catch me. Second, with inflation? Ten mill won't cut it, hun!_ "I have a long list of enemies, I won't deny that. Could I pay them all off for ten million? Maybe, maybe not. That's not the point. I've stayed one step ahead of my enemies for centuries, and I intend to keep it that way. Hank's head on a platter means more to me than a paycheck, and when I learned you share my desire, it only strengthened my resolve to find a way to kill him, Nephilim or not."

Nora looked at me, searching my face for the truth. I had nothing to hide from her in my regards to motivation involving Hank. She looked like she believed me.

My senses tugged toward the door. Nora was about to speak, but I put my finger to my mouth, silencing her. Someone was here.

 _I'm not expecting anyone. Go to the bedroom and shut the door._

Nora nodded, and made her way to the back. When I heard the bedroom door shut. I made my way to the front door. So much for privacy tonight. _Of all days to interrupt._

When I opened it, I couldn't help but laugh in shock.

 _Well, speak of the goddamn devil._

 **I always wanted to know how Patch's trip to the grocery store went. I was going to delve much deeper into it, but then I was like that's not relevant to the story so I didn't do it. I'll have to write up a little one-shot on a dinner date though. Read and review!**


	35. Chapter 33

***blows dust off of fanfiction account*. Well...it's been a minute since I've been here. The past semester has been rough, but you're listening to the web voice of a college/university graduate! I'll be attending school for my Master's in the fall (so if I'm missing a kidney, liver, an arm and a couple of fingers by the end of it all, it's because American school is expensive)**

 **Credit to Becca Fitzpatrick!**

Chapter 33

 **Patch's POV**

Dabria had the nerve to be standing in my doorway, doing what I guess was supposed to be a "sultry" sort of lean on the bricks. I just wanted to have a nice, relaxing night with my Angel and of course she had to ruin it.

"What are you doing?" It was directed at multiple things- her presence, her scheming, and her goofy pose.

"Bad timing?" she simpered, then smiling at me. For any weaker, unknowledgeable man, it'd be an award winning smile.

"Your words, not mine."

"It's important." Her voice lost a little of its playfulness, and observing her body language, I could see she must have just rushed here. Considering she had to leave her hovel and money-making scheme as a fortune teller, it must have been quite an update.

 _I understand my beauty is devastating, but aren't you going to let me in?_

My eyes thinned. _I'm debating slamming the door in your face. This better be good._

She pouted. "I have something for you," she said. It was suggestive, but I rolled my eyes and moved to the side to let her in.

 _Make it quick._

Success and glee on her face, she sauntered into the apartment. "We had some luck. The Black Hand contacted me earlier tonight. He wanted a meeting, was willing to pay top dollar, and I acquiesced." She turned to allow me to touch her wing scars. I rose my eyes, trying to disguise my shock.

"He wanted you to read his future," I tentatively asked.

"For the second time in two days-"

 _Tempted?_ She turn to peek at me, drinking in my shock. _2 second peek, that's it. I thought you should see my success._

I walked forward, knowing that it'd only be about two seconds needed to find out what happened. I touched her scar, ignoring her shudder of desire.

* * *

 _The room was covered twilight, with the two of them sitting on pillows across a wooden table with glass in the middle. Just checking out the inside of her living room, it looked like it could be the room of the psychiatrist that Dabria had once pretended to be._

" _Excuse me, but you know that I don't do 'second readings'! I'm a bit insulted that you want one; I have 100 percent accuracy!" Dabria cried._

 _Hank looked as if he were terrified and angry enough to throttle her, but only momentarily. He swallowed the emotions. "I am willing to pay you whatever is necessary, but I need to be more than sure of this. Everything I do depends on this… I can't afford to be wrong!"_

 _Dabria looked disconcerted, but I could tell that it was solid acting. You'd think a liar like Hank would have seen it too, but he was too caught up in his thoughts. My hands itched; I would have given anything to have been able to grab him right out of her memories and get answers myself._

" _What…exactly…where are your men? Why are you here?" she cried. Hank, translating her questions as her feeling threatened, predictably toned down his posture._

" _There is nothing to fear…if you were a true prophet you could see that." Dabria jerked slightly in insult. "I left my men behind. I want no one other than myself, to make sure that no one is interfering with the new vision that you_ _ **will**_ _give me."_

 _They made eye contact, an unspoken acceptance of the situation._

" _How much?" Hank spoke._

" _What's it worth to you, really?" she returned._

 _Hank ran his hands through his hair, laughing in frustration. "Fi-_

* * *

I was removed from the memory. Dabria turned away, trying to hide her discomfort. I could tell that she was still insecure and afraid of the wing scars and the trauma that came with. I was surprised, almost touched, that she even allowed me to do so. Still, she was teasing with pulling away at the last second. Shamed to say, it worked…I was intrigued.

"We have a very thorough Nephil on our hands." She continued, as if nothing had happened. " _Thorough,_ but not as careful as he's been in the past. He's making small mistakes. This time he didn't bother dragging along his bodyguards. He told me to read his future a second time, to make sure both versions matched. I pretended not to take offense, but you do know I don't like to be second-guessed."

I rolled my eyes at the lie, but I knew she wanted to get to this point. "What did you tell him?"

Dabria smiled, something I bet she wanted to look subtly sinister but really just looked like the Grinch. "Normally my visions are prophetess-client privilege," she sighed dramatically. "But I might be able to strike a deal. What are you laying on the table?"

 _If I'm lucky, the red-head in the back that you wish were you,_ I thought. I swallowed the naughty thought. Had to be good. "Prophetess?" I noted Hank's use of that word; it sounded so hokey.

"Has a certain cachet, don't you think?"

I had been close with an Angel of Death in my past, and I couldn't imagine him using the phrase "prophet" without choking. "How much?"

"First one to name a price loses- you taught me that."

I bet she thought she was clever. "Ten thousand." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Fifteen."

"Twelve. Don't press your luck."

"Always fun doing business with you, Jev. Just like old times. We made a good team."

No part of my time with Dabria had been worth reminiscing about. I did what I had to for Nora. "Start talking."

"I foresaw Hank's death, and I gave it to him straight. I couldn't give him specifics, but I told him there's going to be one less Nephil in the world very soon. I'm starting to think "immortal" is a misnomer. First Chauncey, and now Hank."

I scowled momentarily at Chauncey, and moved on. "Hank's reaction?"

"He didn't have one. Left without a word."

"Anything else?" My eyes twitched toward her shoulder, indicating my intentions if I didn't get a good answer. She swallowed.

"You should know he's in possession of an Archangel's necklace. I sensed it on him." _Consider that free information._ That was actually good news, as Nora and I had planned on getting the necklace to him. So I felt a lot calmer that the Hail Mary I was throwing seemed to be going well. Dabria misperceived my body relaxing as slumping.

"You wouldn't happen to know any former archangels who are missing their necklace," she whispered, coming close to my chest and looking up at me. Again, something that would weaken any other man. But I knew it was a press for information.

I backed away. "I'll wire your money over tomorrow." I simply said.

"What does Hank want with an archangels necklace? On his way out, I heard him tell his driver to take him to the warehouse. What's at the warehouse?"

"You're the prophetess," I said, smiling at my luck. Excellent….he was taking it to the archangel. Still, I needed to move, and fast. The memory seemed very recent, and if I was lucky I could get there and disrupt. This meant I had to get Dabria and myself out of here.

Dabria laughed. "Maybe I should look into _your_ future. Maybe it intersects mine."

Before I could say anything, a door slammed open in the background. Dabria jumped away from me, and I had to swallow my laughter. I was proud, she lasted longer than I thought she would back there.

"Hello, Dabria. What a nice surprise." Dabria swung around, hackles rising like a cats. Nora wasn't a good actor, but I didn't think the intention was to be convincing. She rose her hands over her head, stretching.

"I was taking a nap when the pleasant sound of your voice woke me."

I was smiling full on at this point; even I could feel Dabria's embarrassment and indignation radiating off. "I believe you've met my girlfriend, Dabria?"

"Oh, we've met. Fortunately I lived to talk about it."

Dabria began gulping like a fish, turning bright red. She realized she'd been duped; so much for "intersecting futures".

"Seems Hank came across an archangel's necklace."

"Funny how that worked out."

"Now we figure out what he plans on doing with it." I responded, proud of just looking at her.

"I'll grab my coat."

 _Mmmmmm….no._

"You're staying here, Angel." At this point, Dabria had turned away and was practically closing her ears. I could see Nora was thrown by my decision.

"You-you're taking this one alone?" she asked, her voice shocked and almost hurt.

"First, Hank can't see us together. Second, I don't like the idea of dragging you into something that could get messy fast." Nora looked completely unconvinced, eyes and face falling. I realized that I had to go about it in a different way.

"If you need one more reason, I love you." I saw Dabria twitch out the corner of my eye, but I saw Nora's eyes widen. She believed me, and it was heartwarming. "This is uncharted territory for me, but I need to know at the end of the night, I have to come home to."

Nora was shocked, blinking. "You promised," she whispered.

"And I'll keep my promise." I walked over to her, bringing her head to mine.

 _Don't think about moving an inch outside this door, Angel. I'll be back as fast as I can. I can't let Hank put the necklace on the archangel without hearing what he wants. Out there, you're fair game. He's got one thing he wants- lets not give him two. We're going to end this once and for all._

"Promise you'll stay here, where I know you're safe. The alternative is I order Dabria to stay put and play watchdog." I was only partly teasing.

Dabria twisted back around, they glanced at each other hatefully, and they turned back to me.

 _I'd rather f**king di-_

"Hurry back," Nora said, dismissing me.

As I exited the toolshed from the catacombs, Dabria glared at me.

"She's not going to stay, and I'm not going to help you. I refuse!" she spat, and took off into the night. I sighed. Dabria's feelings were miniscule, but Nora not staying in place was disconcerting. Still, I didn't have enough time to get Nora to safety or to catch Dabria. I just had to pray that she would stay alive. As I ran toward the motorcycle, I pulled out my phone to make a call.

"Mm. You said you wanted to kick my ass right? What if I offered you, and your two cronies, three live Nephils? No? Can't accept that deal? What if I told you that one of them was the Black Hand himself? Nope, I'm not interested in keeping him at all. I've got other plans. You catch him, you keep him."

I waited for Gabe to make a choice.

"Good. Warehouse, I'll send you the location. Meet me there in 10 minutes. Good look."

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